Black Sunday
by Caty-Cat
Summary: A vampire newsie story...because they're so delightful. New chapter 14! And the plot becomes utterly ridiculous...
1. As always, gambling doesn't pay

Tainted Love  
Part One- Malicious Intent  
  
Disclaimer: Okay, I don't own the Newsies, but hell, whoever owns Racetrack, I'll give you a penny for him!  
  
Chapter 1- 1901  
  
It was almost midnight, but the saloon was still lively. The smell of stale cigars and beer hung in the air. Newcomers, walking in from the streets, would gag upon entering such a hazy atmosphere. Although the bar was crowded, many tables in the saloon were empty, save for several ones sporting large crowds of people. Waiters watched the crowd with the eyes of predators, waiting for such prey as a thirsty costumer, or an empty glass.  
The most crowded table was covered in a haze of smoke, denser than the surrounding tables. Women of questionable morality leaned against men who slipped money in their garters. Everyone seemed to have their eyes on the goings on at the table. Cries of triumph and woe rocked the saloon, as card games were common in a place such as this. Tonight, the stakes were high.  
All eyes seemed to be on one player in particular, for he seemed to be the luckiest one at the table.  
He was just a boy, barely sixteen. His dark brown hair was brushed back, only a few pieces escaping and falling over his forehead. His quick, Italian eyes were almost black, and could come off as unusually expressive. They were cool now, for he was a seasoned gambler, even at this young age, and knew that emotions in the game would only lead to empty pockets. He took his cigar out of his mouth and exhaled, adding to the smoky cloud around the table.  
Anthony "Racetrack" Higgins took the top chip off of his pile and tossed it into the pot. His icy stare swept across the room.  
"I see ya fo'dy, and raise ya fiddy," he told the crowd. There was an excited mumble, as the other players exchanged glances.  
"Yer eyes seem tah be a liddle big for yer stomach, boy," one of the men said, giving him a chronic sneer.  
Racetrack tossed his head defiantly. "You do ya own bets, Jimmie, an' I'll do mine." Jimmie glared, picking up one of his chips and tossing it into the pile.  
From afar, a person watched, leaning languidly against the bar. The bartender didn't dare to ask him if he wanted a drink, and just allowed him to watch the Italian boy play his game.  
"Alrigh' boys, momen' o'truth," Racetrack said. "Lay ya cahd's down."  
"I fold," one of the men said quietly. The crowd booed and hissed as though they were one person.  
"Me too," the other man said. The crowd had a similar response. It was down to Jimmie and Racetrack, both staring each other down.  
"Two pair…" Jimmie said, laying his cards down. Something flickered in Racetrack's eyes, as he glanced at his own cards, looking back up at his opponent. He moved the cigar to the other side of his mouth, looking as though he was in deep thought.  
"Royal flush!" He cried, laying his cards down on the table. The crowd went wild, and Racetrack pulled in his winnings. "I tink mah time is done now," he added.  
Jimmie looked at Racetrack dangerously, gears working in his head that Racetrack didn't even want to guess at.  
"It was nice playin' wit ya," Racetrack said to the others, his arms full of chips. He waded his way through the crowd, heading towards the bartender to trade in. The person at the bar kept watching him, but his eyes flicked to Jimmie, slinking out of the club, filled with malicious intent.  
"Thanks Chahley," Racetrack said, stuffing the money in his pocket, the bartender nodded and waved to Racetrack as he headed out of the bar.  
  
His thoughts were filled with the sounds of rolling dice and the feel of cards in his hands as he walked, puffing thoughtfully on a cigar. It was rare that he got so lucky, especially playing cards. He would most likely continue walking, looking at the stars until daylight. Racetrack smiled to himself, kicking a stone along the cobblestone streets.  
He was becoming a natural insomniac, and his nights away from the lodging house were growing in numbers. None of the kids seemed to miss him at dinner, they all assumed it was his way of dealing with things…ever since Jack died.  
No. Jack didn't die; Racetrack had to keep telling himself that. He just never came back from one of his newspaper runs. People assumed he finally caught that train to Santa Fe, but Racetrack himself could have sworn he had seen him lurking in the shadows, watching the other Newsies while they sold their papes.  
It was just something could feel, it didn't matter though. All he knew was that Jack was never coming back; he knew it in his heart. It didn't bother him as much as it bothered the others, Heck, even Spot hung around the lodging house now, missing his good friend Jack.  
Suddenly, he heard a noise, turning around sharply, his hands automatically went to the money in his pockets. There was no one behind him…why was he so jumpy? He just needed to calm down…  
SLAM! Someone tackled him and pinned him against a wall. When Racetrack's vision cleared, he saw it was Jimmie, the angry man from the bar. A knife in hand, he had it pressed against the hollow of Racetrack's throat.  
"I know yer a liddle slimey cheater…" Jimmie hissed, inches away from his face. "I'm gunna slit yer throat now, an' get mah money back…"  
Dis is it!Racetrack thought bitterly. I'm done for! He closed his eyes and waited for the feeling of cold steel drag against his neck, but felt nothing. As he slowly opened his eyes, he saw a figure bent over the twitching body of Jimmie, from the angle in which Racetrack was standing, he couldn't see anything.  
Quick as a flash, the body of Jimmie dropped to the ground and the thing was at his throat now, fangs breaking the flesh of his beck. Racetrack screamed, clawing at the thing latched to his throat.  
"Shhh…Race, don't worry…yeh'll be fahn...Racetrack's eyelids slowly drooped, and he fought to stay awake. The pain subsided in his neck as the thing drew away, and suddenly something warm and wet was pressed to his lips. He drank hungrily, grabbing the wrist of the thing that drank from him.  
"Don't worry Race, yer wit Jackie boy now…" Racetrack lifted his eyes, still drinking, and met the eyes of the boy he thought was dead. His own muffled scream snapped him out of it, and he pushed his former friend away.  
Pain ran up and down his body, and Racetrack fell to his knees, tears coming to his eyes. Jack looked the same as ever, down to the red bandanna around his neck. Racetrack curled into a ball, clenching his teeth.  
"Dis happens to us all, y'know," Jack explained, kneeling in front of him. " Yer body dyin'…Didin' ya always wanna live foreva?" Racetrack sat up, his eyes glassy. He gave Jack a smile, showing newly grown fangs.  
"I wan' some more."  
  
To be continued…muahaha.  
  
Author's Note: Jimmie is actually a character from "Maggie: A Girl of the Streets", a book I read in Language Arts this year. I don't care if you people review (If you did though, I would shout out!). This story can branch off two ways, the main story is going to flash forward to present day, but I plan to write a continuation in this time, which'll kind of explain things coming up in this story!  
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	2. I present to you, our players

Tainted Love Part One- Malicious Intent Disclaimer: see chapter one.?  
  
A/N: I got reviews! You have no idea how special that makes me feel!! Thanks Sureshot Higgins, Cerridwen and Gothic Author (I know, I had IWTV in mind when I wrote the first chapter), this chapter is up so quickly because of you! There aren't many Newsies in this chapter (Spot fans can rejoice though!), but don't worry, they'll come.  
  
Chapter 2- Now  
  
She tried to catch the darkness in her hands, but it always slipped through her fingers. Silently she crept, attempting to become one with the shadows that surrounded her. The alley was dark, and the hustle and bustle of the city seemed so far away, she blinked her violet black eyes, ever watching, ever quiet. Her switchblade was out, ready, soon she would strike..  
"Cat! There you are! Why couldn't you wait for us!?" Cat spun around, her eyes darting to the three people standing in the mouth of the alley. Gee, the girl who spoke; tossed her dark, blue streaked hair. The other girls, Switch and Ash nodded behind her.  
"I thought we were doing this together," Switch said, twisting a piece of her blond hair around her finger. Cat said nothing, flicking her switchblade closed and sticking it back into her pocket.  
"You could have gotten hurt," Gee finished. Cat walked past them and out of the alleyway, lost in thoughts.  
"But I didn't," she told her, voice barely above a whisper. "And now he got away."  
"What's a bum on the street anyway?" Ash said, trying to brighten the otherwise dark mood. "There are plenty other people to kill."  
"It's not killing per se," Switch piped up. "It's research."  
"Researching what?" Cat mumbled under her breath. The whole situation was a little annoying to her. When Gee had come to her, she promised that she would be able to pick whoever she wanted to kill, whenever she wanted to kill, as long as she gave them the body afterwards, in one piece of course. Since when did this girl have to drag her other little friends in?  
She tossed her short black hair, looking over her shoulder at them. "Don't you guys have homework to do?"  
"Don't you?" Switch said, annoyed. "You go to our school too."  
"Thank your lucky stars I do," Cat replied. "How many kids in our class would be willing to kill for money?"  
"A surprising amount, actually," Ash said, lighting a cigarette. "But you're the only one that."  
"Actually killed someone before." Switch added.  
".And got away with it," Gee completed. Cat shrugged, the whole situation was ancient history; she didn't want to bring it up. She was only about sixteen, but these days seven year olds could kill with no problem. The thing that confused her was how these three Catholic school girls knew her little secret.  
  
"You never told me," Cat began. "Why you want this dead body anyway."  
  
"You wouldn't believe us if we told you," Gee answered, she took Ash's cigarette and put it to her lips. "Just believe us, it's research."  
When their steps brought them out of the slums and into the busy streets, Gee took out a fifty dollar bill.  
"I don't want your money," Cat said, waving her hand dismissively. "I didn't do anything yet." Switch, Ash, and Gee all looked at her, an eerie light glinting in their eyes.  
"Oh, believe us," Switch said.  
"You did more than enough," added Ash.  
"We might not even need you to actually do anyone in.our suspicions about you are completely quelled." Gee finished. Cat raised an eyebrow, these girls seemed to be going Twilight Zone, and she didn't want to be there for when they went psycho and sacrificed her to their crazy horned god Pan or something.  
"Thanks." She snatched the fifty out of Gee's hand and ran, never looking back once.  
  
Someone watched the three girls with an inquisitive air. Of all the many people he had seen in his time, they seemed to be the strangest.and the ones that made the most sense. That other girl.Cat, should listen to them more often. His eyes followed the girls as they walked down the sidewalk in perfect unison. There was something about them, something not human, that he just had to check out.  
His footsteps mirrored theirs, a talent he had picked up over his many years of watching people. One of the girls, the blonde, stopped in her tracks. The other two stopped right after she did. The three turned around slowly, meeting their watcher's bright blue eyes.  
"Hello ladies," he said, taking two of them by the arm, the other one, the one with the blue in her hair, glared at him. She knew what he was, not only that, she knew who he was. That might be a problem.  
"Patrick," the one with the blue in her hair spat, as though his name was a curse. Perfect. He backtracked, taking the route that they had previously gone on, back to the alleyway.  
"Oh, Patrick's such an uptight name.I prefer the name Spot, it's so much more.cuddly." Time had dulled his Brooklyn accent, which only surfaced when he got overexcited. But at the moment, as he headed down the street, his voice was steady, without of trace of his native Brooklyn, he was a cool as ice. The girls on his arm didn't object, they couldn't, they were still looking up at him, like two moths hypnotized by the flame.  
The free girl ran away, and Spot knew that he could get her later, even if it took days. She had looked into his eyes, he owned her now.  
Spot Conlon had never lost a good meal, but as he looked down at the two girls on his arms, he knew he wouldn't have to worry, not for a while.  
  
Cat fumbled in her pocket for her keys, taking them out and unlocking the door to her apartment. She knew that she would be home alone, considering how her father was dead and her mother was out drinking. She took a deep breath and sighed, entering her apartment and tossing her keys on the counter in the kitchen. Cat opened the refrigerator, taking all the bottles of beer there and going over to the sink. She unscrewed the first one and turned it upside down. The amber liquid swirled as it went down, and she tossed the glass hard against the sink.  
The glass shattered, as expected, and she took the biggest piece.  
The first cut was easy, on her upper arm. Red swirled along with amber. She took the next bottle, and the next, and the next..until there was more red than amber and she began to feel dizzy. Calm as anything, she walked over to one of the cabinets, taking out a first aid kit.  
Cat didn't know when she was going to stop cutting herself like she did.maybe when it stopped feeling so good.  
  
Spot's blue eyes widened in shock, as he attempted to peel off the person latched to his neck, when his vision cleared, he looked right into the dark brown eyes of Racetrack Higgins.  
"Race?" Spot asked weakly, loosing so much blood had made him feel so hazy. "Ya made a promise."  
  
"Yeah, a promise, an' look where it gets me!" Spot paced in front of the still bodies of the two girls. "He promised me tha' even though he was tha'.thing.he woddin' hoit me!"  
The Brooklyn accent began to return, as he poured his heart out to the silent girls. Switch's head lolled to the side, exposing the ragged mess that used to be her throat, her glassy eyes stared forward. Ash's neck was fine, but her wrists were so torn her hands were kept together by thin, red threads.  
"Yeah, he woddin' hoit me," he turned around and pointed at the girls. "But look whaddi did now!" He fell to his knees on the dirty carpet of his abandoned apartment, staring at the red on his hands.  
"I need it, don' I.." his voice grew softer. "I like it...don' I." He closed his eyes and pressed his fingers to his lips. "An' it's all Racetrack's fault."  
  
To be continued.muahaha! 


	3. Never talk about vampires over lunch

Tainted Love  
Part One- Malicious Intent  
Disclaimer: psh. You know it.  
Chapter 3  
Cat awoke with a dull headache, practically hanging off of her bed.  
She watched the sunlight stream through her window upside down. She reached  
outward and tried to twist the light around one finger. It seemed like ages  
since last night. She felt strangely empty, a feeling that was usually  
coupled with her cutting, but this time it ran deeper, more profound.  
Her cuts throbbed painfully as she rolled on her back, sitting up.  
She pulled back her oversized shirt to check out of the cuts carved into  
her upper arm. The gauze was soaked through, but as she gently peeled it  
off, she saw pinkish flesh underneath. All that was left of her gruesome  
nocturnal activity was a web of pink scars. Cat regarded this information  
with cool indifference as she reached for the pack of cigarettes on her  
night stand.  
Someone knocked on her bedroom door, making her loose her  
concentration. The lighter slid across her hardwood floor. Cat cursed a bit  
to herself and went to the door. Did she really want to hear her mother  
bitch about how all the booze in the house was gone. She opened the door,  
seeing the disheveled mass in front of her.  
Cat hated looking at her mother, considering how she was the older  
version of herself. The same violet black eyes looked back at her, only  
bloodshot and rimmed with purplish flesh. Her hair, although longer, was  
the exact shade of darkest brown; only it was greasy and unkempt. Her  
mother's skin, if possible, was paler than hers. She leaned against her  
daughter's doorframe, looking as though she would break if a strong wind  
blew. Her clothes, seemingly the smallest size, hung off of her.  
This was the way she had dealt with Cat's father's death, by drinking  
and going crazy.. Cat could still remember a time when her mother was  
happy, and carefree, but her father had been alive at that time. Cat  
thought sometimes that her mother was dying the same way her father  
was.wasting away.  
"Cataluna? Are you awake?" Her mother asked to her face. Cat grimaced  
at the use of her full name. She had been named after the place she was  
conceived, a state in Spain. Her mother loved it so much that she refused  
to call her "Cat" which everyone else, including her father, had called  
her.  
"Yeah Mom, I am," she said, smiling sadly. "What do you need before I  
go to school?"  
"Nothing Darling," she replied, twisting her robe nervously. "But  
some people at the door were asking for you, they can come in, but they  
have to keep it down.your father's sleeping."  
Cat nodded quietly, walking around her to get to the door. It was  
wide open, and she could plainly see Gee standing nervously, trying to peek  
in. Her pale blue eyes lit up when she saw Cat approach her. She noticed  
something flicker in Gee's eyes though, a shadow that she didn't see  
before. She dismissed it as soon as she noticed it.  
"Gee? What are you doing here?" Cat decided to leave her in the  
hallway, and made no gesture to invite her inside. "And without your little  
posse?"  
Gee tossed a newspaper to her, which she almost dropped. "They're on  
the front page." Cat unfolded it and looked in complete surprise at a photo  
of the Brooklyn Bridge. The headline read "Two Teenagers Found on Bridge-  
Murderer at Large".  
"Extra extra, read all about it," Cat said sardonically.  
The paper raised a little dust as it was thrown onto the table in  
front of him. His blue eyes read the headline then looked up at the annoyed  
boy in front of him. Brushing his light brown hair out of his eyes, he  
smiled.  
"What's wrong?" He asked innocently. "I remember you used to complain  
about how we never get any recognition." The boy he talked to sighed,  
blinking the eye that wasn't covered by a patch.  
"Yeah Spot, but I didn't mean for cutting off a girl's hands and  
sending them to some girl," he complained quietly. He ran his fingers  
through his blond hair, sitting down next to his sire.  
"Blink, I can't help my cravings, and at that point, I was craving me  
some psychic."  
"Still, Race told me-"  
"Forget what Racetrack told you, he's gotten soft in his old age."  
Spot snickered to himself. "You go off and get some sleep, you must be  
tired."  
Kid Blink narrowed his eye in slight annoyance. "Stop treating me  
like a Fledgling, I'm almost as old as you are, you know." He sniffed  
childishly. "Older even."  
"Not in Our years," Spot mumbled. "Now, about tonight."  
"Excuse me?"  
"Vampires killed Switch and Ash."  
Cat snickered and took another sip of her chocolate milk. "Yeah,  
sure, I completely believe you." She rolled her eyes, covering her mouth in  
a bored, disinterest yawn. Gee ran her fingers through her dark blue  
streaked hair and growled to herself.  
"There's more too."  
"Oh, no doubt."  
"But all that other stuff you hear about? Werewolves and witches and  
stuff, they exist too."  
"Yeah." More snickers.  
"I'm serious! And you're one of them!" Cat finished her chocolate  
milk and crushed it in her fist.  
"Yes, every full moon I turn into an evil werewolf!" To Gee's obvious  
displeasure, she let out a small howl and dissolved into small fits of  
laughter.  
"You don't, but I do." Gee mumbled to herself.  
"Pardon? Silence. "So, I'm a werewolf."  
"No! That's not what I meant, what I meant was you have the potential  
to be a sort of witch." Gee gulped down some water and wiped her brow.  
"This is kind of difficult to tell you."  
"And kind of random."  
"Switch, Ash and I, we've been tailing you ever since your father  
died."  
Cat narrowed her eyes. "Excuse me?"  
"You heard me loud and clear." Cat's mouth went very dry, and she  
looked at the crushed chocolate milk carton in her hand, wishing very much  
to have that milk back.  
"Yeah, I did, but I don't believe it.I didn't tell anyone about  
that."  
"Ash sensed it, she was a good mind psychic."  
"They were psychics?" Gee nodded, taking another sip of her water.  
"Good ones too, the blood of any sort of magical thing is better than  
a human's, so I guess the vampire had a good meal."  
Cat wanted to laugh, but Gee's seriousness was too eerie, she truly  
believed in this stuff. She also knew about her father.weird stuff. She  
turned away from her, her gaze spanning the school yard. It was a Catholic  
school so basically the yard at lunch was a never ending sea of plaid ties  
and skirts. Cat herself usually liked to sit alone, but Gee didn't leave  
her alone after the lunch line. Her eyes snagged on a random boy leaning  
against a tree, watching the two of them.  
"So, are you a psychic person too?" She asked casually, as though it  
were nothing. Gee shook her head. "But you three went all 'Village of the  
Damned' on me last night, like a mind link or something." She couldn't  
believe she what she was saying.  
"Like I said, Ash was a powerful mind psychic, she could spread her  
gift to other people."  
"I see, and Switch?"  
"She was pretty good Diviner," Gee replied.  
"I bet she saw her own death."  
"Oh, no doubt." A chill ran down Cat's spine.  
"And you?"  
"I told you what I was," she said, something yellow flashing in her  
otherwise blue eyes.  
"A werewolf?"  
"I prefer lycanthrope." She flipped her hair over her shoulder,  
grinning sheepishly. Cat could sense a weird energy coming from her; maybe  
she was actually starting to believe her. "Aren't you going to ask about  
yourself?"  
"I'm a normal human being, correct?"  
"Pretty much, but have you ever heard of a Necromancer?" Gee leaned  
over the table, her eyebrows raised inquisitively. She folded her hands and  
rested her chin against them. Cat fought the urge not to laugh.  
"Yeah, in Dungeons and Dragons."  
"They exist too, Cataluna."  
"Don't call me that."  
"Why not, your mother does."  
"Are you my mother?" They both lapsed into an uneasy silence, and Cat  
stared down at her hands. How could she be a "Necromancer"? She couldn't  
even do a card trick, and even so, she didn't really believe they existed,  
did she?  
"Listen," Gee began. "I know this must be hard for you."  
"Oh really, I didn't think-"  
"But it was hard for me too when I found out what I was, but we deal  
with it!" She looked as though she was going to get rather riled up, but  
she calmed herself. "I smell blood."  
"What?"  
"Blood, I smell a blood slave."  
"Explain that one." Cat said, taking Gee's bottle of water and  
sipping from it. Gee shrugged.  
"Vampires love to make blood slaves, because they're basically  
servants." Her eyes rested on the boy leaning against the tree, and Cat  
followed her gaze. The boy had wavy brown hair, and the light reflecting  
off his glasses made it hard to see the color of his eyes.  
"That's a blood slave? How can you tell?"  
"I can smell his master's blood on him," Gee said, her voice was  
slightly above a growl. "Making a blood slave is fairly easy, cut him, cut  
yourself, press said wounds together and there you have it. The slave  
doesn't age as long as the master is alive."  
The boy with the glasses caught her gaze, and he smiled broadly.  
"That boy over there will live forever? Good deal."  
Gee shook her head. "No, Specs just won't die of old age.is he coming  
over here?"  
Sure enough, the two girls watched as Specs made his way over to  
them, sitting on their picnic table.  
"Hiya goils, how ya doin'?" He asked, giving them a sweet smile.  
"Go to Hell Matthew," Gee snapped. "Oops, forgot, you're already on  
your way!" He didn't seem very affected by her icy words, instead, he  
reached into his pocket, pulling out two small envelopes.  
"A'll let that slide, Regina," Gee flinched. "'Cause Ah know the full  
moon's dis weekend." She looked down, and blushed slightly. Cat looked up  
at the boy.  
"What do you want?" She asked, her patience was being tried with  
these people.  
"Now that Ah've seen ya get acqua'ted wit Gees here, my master has a  
proposition for ye's."  
"Tell Patrick that he can go to Hell, but I'm sure he's right beside  
you on the bullet train there," Gee said, though the acid seemed to be gone  
from her words.  
"Hey, Ah's jist the messenger, take it up wit him," Specs said,  
getting a little touchy at the mention of his master in such a negative  
way. He tossed the two envelopes onto the picnic table just as the bell  
rang.  
Cat leaned over and looked at them. Printed in red ink was the name  
Cataluna McCain, she shivered, that was her name! Everyone seemed to know  
it these days. The other envelope read Regina LoSacco and Cat assumed that  
that one belonged to Gee.  
Gee picked hers up, opening it quickly. "It's an invitation to a  
party on Saturday," she replied after going over it quickly. She looked up  
at the sky at the faint moon, almost full, and shook her head. "I can't go;  
full moon on Saturday."  
Cat was reading her invitation eagerly, she was always up for a good  
party, particularly because she really wasn't close to anyone, so hooking  
up with her "best friend's boyfriend" was never really a problem.  
Noticing the excited look in her eyes, Gee clucked her tongue.  
"You're not thinking of going, this is a vampire party!"  
"So, you'd go if you weren't going furry or something," Cat  
countered.  
"That's different, I plan to kill him, you just want to get drunk or  
something, and believe me, you will, but not in the way that makes you have  
a hangover in the morning."  
  
"Even better," Cat replied, a grin lighting up her face. "I mean.no  
hangover?  
"You'll be dead," Gee said. "Trust me; this has happened to us,  
me...before!" She stood her ground, her eyes flashing yellow and wolflike.  
"Fine Rover, I won't go!" She picked up her backpack and slung it over her  
shoulder. Gee didn't look happy at the new nickname, but she smiled all the  
same.  
  
Saturday night. The boy on the streets could hardly move fast enough as he  
looked around for the right building. In the distance, he heard a wolf  
howl, and shivered. It didn't take long for Regina to change when she was  
feeling a strong emotion, the moon had barely risen. From the howl, the boy  
could tell that she was nervous.  
And she had every reason to be. His dark brown eyes searched the apartment  
buildings, before finally settling on the right one. He nervously took the  
pocket watch out of his pocket, opening the tarnished silver watch to check  
the time. He might not be too late.  
Cool it, he thought to himself. I mean, this is only a matter of life and  
death. Or freedom.  
He walked up the steps, entering the building. It looked different with the  
light of the streetlamps.he didn't bother to wait for the elevator, opting  
to take the stairs instead. The stairs looked dirty, but he had been in  
dirtier places.  
The fifth floor, he was almost there. The hallway seemed to stretch out  
before him, the same doors on either side. How pointless it all looked,  
with the simple number making them different from each other. He found the  
number he was looking for, 25, and cautiously knocked.  
After a great while, a woman answered the door, made up as though she was  
on her way out.  
"Hello ma'am? Is Cat there?" He sounded nervous; maybe he could pass  
like a nervous guy about to ask her out or something. He was really  
anything but.  
She looked lost and bewildered, and he seriously felt for her. "I'm  
sorry, she went to a party or something." She trailed off, about to say  
something more. He was already on his way out. Most likely he was too late,  
but he could at least try.  
Mush bit his lip slightly; his master would not be pleased with him  
if the Necromancer was hurt.  
To be continued, anyone hooked yet? Doubt it, sorry about the random Cat  
background, this chapter just randomly came out of nowhere, actually. It  
came out of nowhere! The next one'll be up fairly quickly! Summer's here  
and I'll be bored. 


	4. Necromancers and vampires don't mix

Tainted Love Part One- Malicious Intent  
  
Chapter 4  
  
Central park, near midnight. The trees cast ghostly shadows on the pathways going through the park, dark green on dark gray on black. At night, the park had a deathly stillness, a complete contrast to the crazy whirl of the city's nightlife. Rocks thrust out of the earth, almost as though they didn't belong, but even stranger than that, a wolf stood quietly on top of it, watching the full moon.  
Her pelt was dark brown, but the fur on the stop of her head was streaked with dark blue. Her yellow eyes were filled with a strange intelligence, the moon reflected in them. This wolf, of course, was Gee. Usually, werewolves don't know how to control the beast inside, but Gee had had too much practice over the years. She was bitten when she was quite little.  
Cat, I hope you're not doing something stupid. She thought placidly. I just hope that you didn't go to that party alone.  
  
Mush practically tripped on himself going down the stairs to the subway. He was in a serious hurry, and the fact that the party was being held in Brooklyn complicated matters.just a little. He ran his fingers through his curly brown hair and looked at the map. It was all so confusing.  
"Aw damn." he mumbled to himself. "I wish Gee was here."  
"Need help?" a voice said behind him. Mush spun around, and came face to face with the one person he didn't want to meet.  
  
The party was wild. Held in a small apartment in Brooklyn, it basically was a lot of people crammed into a little space, with music blasting, and people sneaking off in couples to God knows what in the hallways of the building.  
Cat took another sip of her beer, she was having the time of her life, so far. Dressed in clubbing gear, a black net shirt over spaghetti strapped midriff and tight black pants, she couldn't keep the music out of her head, and even when the DJ was changing records, she would bob her head as thought it were still playing.  
Gee had called this a "vampire party", so far she had seen no such thing. The closest thing she had seen were hickeys and that was hardly Vampiric. Cat eyed prospective dancers, girl or boy; it didn't really matter to her. In her opinion, dancing wasn't half as fun unless you had a partner to dance with you.  
She noticed a boy dancing not too far off, his brown hair falling over his intense blue eyes. He looked up, catching her eye and grinning. Perfect. Cat danced over to him, and slipped her hand around his waist. He looked pleasantly surprised.  
"I've been eyeing you all night; I never thought you would actually come over!" His boyish enthusiasm made Cat smile, and she couldn't help but check him out. Black leather pants and a tight black shirt, she curled her toes in excitement. This was going to be an interesting night.  
  
Kid Blink watched the couple dance with a look akin to horror. How Spot could randomly attract girls like that was amazing to him. Closing his eye and smelling the air, Blink could catch a faint scent of blood.most of his brethren have scored a fine meal tonight; Blink was rather content to be on the sidelines, watching.  
He turned his eye to Specs, one of Spot's blood slaves. The poor boy sat peacefully in a dark corner hidden from the view of the dancers. His head was tilted slightly back, and latched to the throat, like some twisted leech was a blond haired boy with glasses as well. One of the boy's arms was around Specs' waist, the other was curled in his wavy hair.  
Kid Blink looked away; Dutchy could be quite. flamboyant in his tastes for blood. It made his stomach turn; watching the two carry on like that. Specs liked it, another thing that made Blink a little sick.  
"Intrestin' party, don'cha think?" Blink turned his head to the side where his good eye could see. Standing next to him was a small kid with nondescript brown hair and eyes. He was a little goofy looking, and by his side was a metal crutch. Most would consider the poor boy as a worthless cripple, but Blink knew he was looking at the most artful and deceitful illusionary witch of the 21st century.  
"Crutchy?" Blink asked, amazed. "I didn't think you would come to a party like this."  
Crutchy looked around, a bored look on his face. "Eh, my nightlife ain't what it used ta be, ah'll give ye that, Blink." His eyes rested on Specs and Dutchy. "Intrestin', very intrestin'."  
Blink rolled his eye, not even bothering to look at what he was talking about. Crutchy quickly grew bored of watching the two, and his eyes slid to Spot and Cat. Her face was buried in his throat, and his head was bent down, whispering something in her ear.  
"I didn' know yous guys invited a Necromancer," Crutchy observed. Blink's eye widened in surprised.  
"A Necro? Here!? You have to be kidding me!" He leaned forward slightly; trying to get a good look at the girl Spot was dancing with. "She's so young!"  
Crutchy gave him a warning look. "Young doesn' mean powerless."  
"I didn't mean it like that, but her? She has to be sixteen at the most, and don't most Necros find their powers at like.18?"  
"What does it matta?" Crutchy asked, with a wave of his hand, a three inch high duplicate of the girl appeared on Blink's shoulder. Blink didn't look amused. "I mean, all that does matta is that Spot ova there's gonna get her blood firs'."  
Spot appeared on Blink's shoulder next to Cat, and embraced her, sinking his tiny teeth into her tiny throat. Blink rolled his eye and brushed the illusion away. The two figures disappeared in a puff of smoke graceful smokey tendrils still hanging in the air.  
"What's so great about Necro blood anyways?" Blink said dismissively. "I prefer a good wereanimal any day." Crutchy looked amused, and chuckled slightly to himself.  
"Nuttin', I guess, Ih don' matta, even if ya did know, looks like someone else is gonna move in anyways."  
Kid Blink looked up, and to his surprise saw the one person he didn't expect at the party.  
  
"Good to see you again, Mush," David Jacobs said, a small fanged smile coming to his lips. Mush couldn't help but back away, his eyes never leaving David's sallow, pale face.  
"Davy? Good to see you again, I thought you died." He eyed the vampire warily. "You look good."  
"So do you, Mush, what's this?" David's fingers found the pocket watch that Mush held. He turned it over in his fingers. "Isn't this Racetrack's?"  
"I'm doing him a favor, none of your business."  
"You know what is my business, Mush?" David said, changing the subject. "Last I saw you had to be.1912, tell me, how are you still alive?"  
"Well.I found out that once my old master died, and I got a new one.I was kind of bound to him, so now I won't die as long as he's alive."  
"Intriguing, I'm sure." David gave a little annoyed sigh, before finally focusing on Mush and not the spot of wall above his head. "But can you still die?"  
"O-only if my master d-d-does...or I guess I can die by any practical purposes." David nodded, seemingly understanding poor Mush's plight.  
"So if I subject you to hours upon hours of torture.you'll still be alive?" Mush gave a fearful nod, and David grabbed him by the scruff of the neck.  
"Perfect!"  
David didn't really feel like killing Mush, but he was sent to stop Mush's eventual intervention with that Necromancer at Spot Conlon's party. There was a deal going on, and David was promised at least a pint of that Necromancer's blood.  
And that would be a special treat.  
  
"Come with me to my place.just down the hall." Spot whispered to Cat. A delicious shiver ran down her spine as she stopped kissing his neck and met his eyes again. The hypnotic pull of those beautiful eyes made him hard to resist.  
"I will." Those eyes practically popped with excitement until.  
"May I cut in?" The two of them turned to look at the person who spoke. He was only about a foot taller than Cat herself, and wore a rather oversized jacket thrown over a white dress shirt with gray pinstripes. His brown hair was brushed back, and his fathomless chocolate brown eyes betrayed no emotion. Spot's reaction, a gasp, was quite interesting to her. She looked up at him.  
"This one's mine, Race, get your own." The boy, Race apparently, looked undaunted. He smirked slightly.  
"She's not an object yeh kin keep, Spot, I see yeh marking her with your eyes.don't. Necromancers don' really react in best besta ways.."  
"We need her help," Spot replied. "You know that. Right after I get a sip, I was going to ask a favor." Reality came crashing back to Cat when she realized that they had just called her a Necromancer.  
"Not you guys too." She said, annoyance seeping into her voice. Anger was bubbling up inside of her.why couldn't she just be normal!? Inside of her.she felt this strange energy react to her anger, and a shriek of terror caused the music to stop on a dime.  
Specs was backing away from the corner he was in, eyes wide with fear. His eyes never left the person who had been feeding on him but a moment ago. The vampire, a blond boy with glasses, stared in awe and terror at his hands.or what was left of them.  
Rotten flesh dripped off his hands and onto the floor, Dutchy looked up at his fellow vampires with fear, and a piece of rotten flesh slid off his cheek. Racetrack and Spot looked at Cat in horror; whose hand was outstretched, surrounded by a dense, black aura.  
Her violet black eyes were just black now, even the whites, and she mumbled something under her breath, her eyes never leaving her victim's face. Dutchy screamed in agony, clawing at himself, and everyone seemed to wait for the stench of rotting flesh to reach their nostrils.it never came  
Crutchy leaned over to Kid Blink, a twinkle in his eye. "Now thah ain't no illusion, Blink. Dis is tha real thing!" Blink just watched in horror.  
"Stop it!" Spot cried. "He's dying!"  
" 'xactly. Necromancer's control the dead.meanin' us." Racetrack sighed, watching Dutchy rot. "Lemme have her for now, I'll get her ta help us." Spot shrugged, and Racetrack grabbed a hold of her, gritting his teeth in pain.  
It was so cold; Racetrack could see the poor girl shivering through the black cloud that seemed to surround her. She couldn't control her own powers, probably didn't even know what she was doing, so this was pretty pardonable. He shook her violently, making the aura lesson, and practically picked her up. Racetrack needed to get her away from everyone.  
Cat was caught in a flurry of power, she was oblivious to everything, but she could feel it. She could feel the dead press against her skull, dying to tell her their secrets at last, she screamed at them to go away, but they never listened. She couldn't help but stare at the vampire in front of her.he was her outlet. Her hand was outstretched, that she could feel, and she didn't want to stop whatever she was doing. The power felt like it was leaving her that way. It hurt so much, this power, like tiny knives going up and down her arms, pricking her.but never drawing blood.  
Someone shook her, and she lost a grip on her powers. Something, or someone, had grabbed her, making her loose sight of her target. The powers ebbed back into her, making her scream again. Cat didn't want this; she wanted to get rid of it.  
Racetrack pinned the girl's arms to her side, taking her out of the apartment and slamming her against the wall. The blackness still swam in her eyes, but the aura was gone. He could feel her power flare against his skin, and tried to ignore it. She was shivering uncontrollably; Racetrack smiled a little, brushing some of the hair out of her face.  
"Yeh cold?" He asked softly, she didn't seem to hear him. The music had started again, leaving Racetrack still pinned against her, refusing to back away until that horrible blackness bled out of her eyes.  
Cat was cold, horribly cold, but she could barely hear what the boy was saying over the voices of the dead, telling her horrible secrets she didn't want to know. She wanted to claw her ears off, but the boy held them down. She looked right at him, seeing not him, but a shade, blackish blue. It was touching her.why was it touching here!?  
He held her down as she began to thrash, trying to get away from him. He knew only one way to calm her down.weaken her, make her tired. But did he want her to start off not trusting him? She pressed her hand to his chest, when he began to feel something strange.  
He heard a wet plop as a piece of skin slid off the back of his hand and hit the floor. It wasn't a bad feeling, but it wasn't a good one either. He would have to stop this, before she destroyed everyone at the party. He brushed away some of the hair that was lying against her neck. He bent down, giving her a feather light kiss at the base of her throat. It was his habit, he couldn't help it.  
"I'm sorry," he whispered. And with that, he buried his face into her neck.  
  
Spot had checked on Dutchy, finding him to be quite alright, his skin was regenerated and everything. Specs pulled him into a hug, whispering something into his ear. Spot watched the two of them, not completely understanding their bond. Specs wasn't Dutchy's blood slave, he was Spot's.why the connection?  
He shrugged, his eyes inexplicably drawn to the door that Racetrack had dragged Cat. Something was going on, and Spot wanted to know what it was. Ignoring everyone else, he brushed passed Kid Blink and Crutchy on his way out the door.  
"An' so ih begins," Crutchy observed. Kid Blink regarded him with a skeptical look.  
"What's that supposed to mean?" He asked, watching Spot storm out. "They do this all the time, fighting over magical creatures because their blood is better."  
Crutchy nodded, though Blink could tell that he was just being humored. "Yeah, but dis time, ih's diff'rent."  
"How so?" Blink asked, but Crutchy shouldered up his crutch and began to head for the door.  
"Ah gotta stop dis whole pahty goin' thing." he mumbled, more to himself than to Blink. "Ah's gettin' a liddle too old fo' dis." He left Kid Blink and hobbled out the door.  
  
The ebb and flow of Cat's powers began to lesson, but Cat herself hardly noticed. She stopped thrashing, her arms lying limply at her side. Her eyes were open, but she didn't see. Still pinned against her was a panting Racetrack, his arms around her waist, dizzy as anything. He couldn't get over the way his head was swimming. Racetrack had never liked drinking from magical creatures.and here he was, with a Necromancer in his arms, a death witch. Apparently they had the best blood of all.  
Spot stood in the middle of the hallway, as still as a shadow, his eyes never leaving the two. He wasn't angry, au contraire, he was jubilant. An evil grin coming to his mouth, he pushed Racetrack off of her and took her in his arms, dancing with her.  
"Wonderful! Finally! How long has it been?" Racetrack didn't find any of this amusing.  
"Put 'er down, Spot, she's jus' weak from using 'er powers for deh foist time, Ah didn' kill 'er." He tried to stay calm, but the thought of Spot waltzing around the hallway with the poor girl in his arms made his stomach turn.  
"This is so Anne Rice, we should make her one of us now!" He took her hand and brought a finger to his lips, taking a tiny bite.just a taste.  
"Spot." The cyan-eyed vampire's name, spoken so simply, with a hint of a dangerous warning in the older vampire's voice made Spot gently take her finger out of his mouth. Upon tasting her blood, the familiarity of it.a question rose in his eyes, but the warning presented by his sire made him change the subject.  
"So.should we? I mean.she seems kind of out of it, and imagine." He licked his lips, looking down at the girl in his arms. "A Necromancer vampire.damn, she could be our Claudia!" He closed the girl's blank, open eyes and kissed her purplish colored eyelids. "A little old though."  
Racetrack went over to him and took Cat from him, smoothing her rumpled hair. "No. 'Cause a Necromancer vampire isn' very smart, now is ih?" He picked her up in his arms effortlessly. "And we gotta Claudia already, don' we?"  
Spot's expression soured. "You have to bring that up?" Racetrack walked to him, the unconscious girl in his arms. He stopped a breath away from Spot's ear, filled with malicious intent.  
"You gotta stop readin' Anne Rice an' Laurell K. Hamilton," he whispered. "I'm takin' 'er home." He continued walking, and Spot spun to face him, his face filled with anger.  
"Do ya really tink you should be near da goil!?" He asked, his Brooklyn accent seeping in with anger. A bit of his homicidal, maniacal side surfaced, and Spot rode it, loving the sense of abandon he got from it.  
"Whaddaya mean?"  
"Ya know 'xacty whad I mean." He went over to the girl, taking her arm, but Racetrack pulled her away from him.  
"I'm takin' 'er home." Racetrack said sternly, a cold fire rising in his eyes. "She's gone though enough ta-day, right?" Cat let out a little moan of pain, her eyelids fluttering a little. She could only see shadows, a trickle of blood dripping onto the hallway carpet.  
"Fine."  
Spot watched with narrowed eyes as Racetrack disappeared around the corner. He shook his head, quoting his favorite movie of all time.  
"Moiciful death, how ya love yer precious guilt." 


	5. You could call it a hangover

Tainted Love Part One- Malicious Intent  
  
Author's Note: Damn. It did load. That part didn't know up on my screen...grrr..  
  
Chapter 5  
  
"What are we supposed to do about him!?" "How am I supp'sed ta know?" "Since when did I become a halfway house for the living and the dead!?" "Undead." "Shut up Anthony!" Cat could hear the angry voices from far away, but she didn't want them to come any closer. Her neck was throbbing, her wrist was throbbing, she felt like she had been through the mill several times, and only had vague memories of cyan colored eyes and someone kissing her neck and then.and then.  
She moaned, rolling over, unaware of the person watching her. He sat in an armchair, next to her bed, his eyes never leaving her weak form. He had a mug in his hand, and slowly brought to his lips, savoring the smooth taste of blood, her blood actually. He knew that he shouldn't have done that, taken enough blood to fill the mug halfway, but he couldn't help it. Necromancer blood, now that's a treat. Racetrack and Spot had done well this time.  
Cat opened her eyes, and she knew that she wasn't in her room. She stared up at the dream catcher above the bed, dangling purple and blue feathers. Curling up in the dark blue satin sheets, she breathed in a familiar smell.the smell of Gee.  
So she was in Gee's room, interesting. Rolling over, she came face to face with a person she didn't really know. His eyes were light greenish brown, as luminous as a feline seeing in the dark. She had a feeling that he was one of them otherworldly vampire people. His hair was light brown and a little wavy, curling a little at the base of his neck. He had a feeling of being old, but she could bet her immortal soul that this was just how vampire's felt.  
"You're afraid." He spoke, his voice cutting through the darkness like a knife. Cat sat up, suddenly wishing she hadn't; the pain in her neck felt the need to remind her that it was there.  
"No I'm not," she replied, not the least bit defensive. Cat was more.matter of fact. The boy smiled, showing a little bit of fang, and Cat couldn't help but chuckle.  
"Why are you laughing?" he asked. His voice was free of an accent; time had done that to him. He expressed no emotion now; he felt no need to.  
  
"Showing fangs, what a vampire thing to do," she remarked. "I've known about you guys for a week, and already I'm picking up those little things you do that just scream vamp." He arched an eyebrow at her, before filling the room with his laughter.  
It was almost tangible; Cat couldn't help but reach up, her fingers slightly bent, in hopes of touching that silky laughter. No normal human being could laugh like that, and the icy wind of fear touched her heart, he wasn't human. It sent a shiver down her spine as her eyes followed the mug in his hand as it went to his lips again.  
What was in the mug?!  
  
Racetrack watched Gee pace angrily around the room, running her fingers through her strange, dark blue streaked hair. Sometimes he believed it was actually natural.  
She whirled on him, anger sparkling in her pale blue eyes.  
"Well, you get right back on that phone and tell him that we don't care what happens to Jack's little pet!" The only thing Racetrack could do was nod, it was the day after the full moon, and he knew that her blood was still heated from the night before. He was lucky to be invited in, and he couldn't help but laugh as his eyes drifted over to Spot.  
He stood in the hallway, leaning against what looked like thin air, but it was really the barrier that kept most uninvited vampires out. Gee took great pleasure in watching him attempt to get in, but fail. Spot watched her with angry eyes, trying to catch her gaze. So what if his downfall was pride? He was so sure that a werewolf would still be bound by his gaze, but as she walked passed him, their eyes locked and she had no reaction.  
"Anthony, you're not on the phone yet!" Racetrack flinched at the use of his real name, but he let it slide. Gee stopped in front of Spot, hatred burning in her eyes. Spot looked unaffected.  
"Spot, don't mess wit her, alright?" Racetrack said, dialing the phone and turning away from them, intent on his conversation.  
Gee met his gaze with no problem, and a sleepy, appraising grin came to Spot's lips.  
"You know, you're prettier than I thought originally," he said. Gee raised an eyebrow.  
"Oh really?" She asked. He nodded.  
"Now if you just let me in.we'll."  
Gee slammed the door in his face.  
"Dammit!" Spot cried, pounding his fist against the door. Gee snickered to herself and turned to Racetrack, who gingerly put the phone down as angrily as possible.  
"Well?"  
"Nuttin," he replied. "Line's busy." They both exchanged looks.  
"Busy?"  
"Vampires gotta life too y'know," Racetrack said, a little huffy. Gee plunked down in a chair next to him, it was interesting, she didn't like vampires, hated them! Yet here she was, one knocking on her door outside.  
"How do we deal with it, Anthony?" She asked. "I mean, I wanted to become a vampire hunter, I was all ready to go out and stuff like that, but here I am, Patrick Conlon wanting to get in outside, an another vampire actually in my house.." She glanced around. "Where's Jack?"  
Racetrack felt a little bad about keeping the fact that he was a vampire from Gee, but she trusted him, and he liked that, so to her, he was just Jack's blood slave. That explained the fact that he smelt like a vampire, all blood slaves had that strange, Vampiric smell about them. Jack and Spot of course knew about Racetrack's little secret, but Jack couldn't care less, and Spot was just adding that to the list of deep, dark, secrets he could ruin his sire's life with.  
"How am I sup'osed ta know?" He replied, trying not to let the bitterness seep into his voice. Blood slaves were supposed to like their masters apparently.  
"Last time I checked, he went to check on Cat, but I mean...she was sleeping, how interesting could that be?"  
Racetrack was already on his feet, heading for Gee's bedroom. Watching someone sleep was very interesting to vampires, too interesting. Jack had dulled himself throughout the years, and human suffering no longer made him suffer himself. He was almost like Spot, except for after Spot slaughtered someone; he would still shed a few tears for his lost humanity. Racetrack himself hoped that his own humanity was still intact.  
  
"You know, in all my years, I never came across a Necromancer as powerful as you," Jack observed, looking at her appraisingly. Cat shrugged, her eyes searching the nightstand next to her. She would have used the powers she could feel bubbling beneath the surface of her skin, but the more she thought of it, the less she believed she could use it again.  
"Now you've seen everything," Cat muttered. Wasn't there a cross around here? Gee seemed very anti-vampire, or at least she thought Gee was, obviously not, considering the fact that a random vampire was lounging in Gee's room.  
"No, I haven't," he replied.  
"'Scuse me, am I interruptin' somethin'?" A semi-familiar person poked his head into the room, and Cat immediately went out to feel him, see if he was a vampire. The boy looked at her and she was immediately met with a staticy feeling in where the sense of his aura should be. Maybe he was a psychic, like Switch and Ash were.  
The vampire gave the boy a cold look. "Not at all, Racetrack, Cataluna here was just waking up."  
Cat let the use of her full name slide, messing with a vampire at the moment wasn't exactly the smartest thing to do. She looked at the semi- familiar boy, Racetrack it was, and smiled as though he were he savior.  
"Yeah, I'm up.and hungry actually," she told him. He smiled at her, his warm brown eyes lighting up. Cat decided that she liked this boy, this Racetrack, he was pretty cute, with dark hair and those chocolate colored eyes, he also seemed the most normal person here, so far.  
"I'll get Gee ta make ya somethin' or.somethin'," he said, his grin never faltering. Cat couldn't help but smile at him, what could she say? His grin was infectious.  
"Take your friend with you," Cat said, jerking her thumb in the vampire's direction, Racetrack met the vampire's eyes.  
"Let's go, Jack, let tha goil get dressed in private." Jack's eyes swept over Cat, who blushed, suddenly realizing she was dressed only in a white dress shirt with gray pinstripes and nothing else. She drew the dark blue satin sheets around her, her face burning with embarrassment.  
Jack smirked, and got up, leaving the room with Racetrack.  
  
Spot leaned against the door now, pouting that he was the only vampire not allowed inside. What was so wrong with him? Jack was just as homicidal, maybe more so! But Jack didn't kill Gee's friends, so it was all Spot's fault. He didn't get those humans, or werewolves.or whatever.  
Why didn't he just leave? Oh yeah, because that Gee girl was kind of cute, so was that Necromancer. There was also that little business about Jack's blood slave, Spot couldn't remember his name, which he was apparently supposed to help out with.  
But how could he help if he wasn't even allowed in the official unofficial base of operations!?  
Lestat wouldn't be stuck out here like this, Spot thought bitterly. Oh no, he wouldn't even give these pathetic excuses for vampires the time of day! Or night as it were.  
He slid into a sort of crouching sitting position, still against the door. Maybe Racetrack was right, he was getting too into Anne Rice books. He wasn't Lestat! He could walk in daylight, even though it kind of drained on him, Anne Rice's vampires were stuck indoors when the sun rose.  
Still, Spot loved those books; he wanted to be in them. They made him feel like he had a purpose in all this, which was more than he ever got from his pathetic excuse for a sire, more a Louis than anything else. The whole vampire glorification theme of those books made him feel privileged, chosen even, it made him feel special.  
He banged his head lightly against the door, hopefully Gee would get annoyed and let him in. No one could really resist his adorable charms for long.  
  
Cat pulled the black spaghetti strapped shirt over her head, looking into the mirror. With the dark gray pants with black pinstripes, she almost looked human. Although she wasn't really.right? She felt a little weird; someone had gone into her house and got some of her clothes. They knew where she lived?  
She ran Gee's brush through her short dark hair and looked in the mirror. A vampire bite on her neck looked back. Cat bit her lip, holding up her hand to see the other one on her wrist. The one on her wrist was a little more recent, which made her wonder if the contents in Jack's mug were hers.  
Picking up the white dress shirt, she slipped it on, it might not have matched perfectly, but she didn't care. She felt drawn to it, like it was a comforting teddy bear or something. She stared at her reflection in the mirror, she looked like hell. Her violet black eyes were surrounded by flesh almost the exact same color, and she was disgustingly pale. Cat's head swam, how much blood did she lose?  
She practically stumbled into the kitchen, walking in halfway through a conversation that halted as soon as she managed to get into the room. Gee looked at her as though she was a pathetic flood victim, Jack just looked bored. Racetrack was on the phone, cursing to himself as he turned it off and set it back down. He smiled when he saw her, and she smiled back.  
"How are you feeling?" Gee asked gently.  
"Augh."  
"Just what I thought." She got up and took Cat's arm, gently leading her to a seat. Cat was distinctly aware of a light pounding noise coming from the door.  
"Someone wants to be let in," she said. Gee rolled her eyes.  
"It's just Patrick," Gee replied dismissively. Cat shot a confused look to Racetrack.  
"Patrick's one-a the more dang'rous vamps in town," he explained. "He was the one that did Ash an' Switch in. The rest-a us normal people jus' call him Spot."  
Gee gave him an annoyed look and addressed Cat. "He's the one who attacked you last night."  
"You were tasty." Jack mumbled under his breath, Racetrack shot him a look.  
"Anyways," he said, changing the subject. "What're we gunna do 'bout David? Don't he have Mush?" Gee handed Cat a cup of strong coffee and a plate of cherry pop-tarts and sat back down.  
"I suppose," Jack said nonchalantly, apparently Mush was his blood slave, but he didn't seem to care. Cat took a sip of the coffee and coughed, her eyes going wide. Everyone glanced at her, and she blushed.  
"Strong coffee," was all she could say. Gee pushed a bowl of sugar and a little pitcher of cream towards her.  
"He ain't answerin' his phone, don't get me started on how I don't get how vamps even carry phones," Racetrack remarked. "I guess we're jus' gunna have to meet him, that's how ya really talk ta vamps these days."  
"Showdown," Cat replied. Everyone shot her a look again.  
"We're going to have to bring a gift though, you know how psycho David is," Jack said. Gee shrugged.  
"Handle everything Jack," she said. Usually she would never, ever tell a vampire to handle everything, but Jack seemed trustworthy.  
"First, you gotta let Spot in before he goes crazy and eats your neighbors." A storm passed through Gee's eyes before she slowly got up, heading for the door. A sharp pain in her neck reminded Cat about what this boy could do.  
"Fine, Patrick, you can-"Gee went quiet.  
"Whass wrong?" Racetrack asked. The blue stripe haired girl turned back to the three sitting at the table.  
"He's gone." Cat rolled her eyes.  
"Perfect."  
  
Watching, always watching. They were so interesting, these people, he couldn't help but smile as he watched them pass through life, not stuck there, like he was. Sure, there were some stuck there like he was, but they were happier, they were still able to pretend like they were living.  
He felt so old, but that was because he was old. He was also lonely; there was no one to help him. Maybe he wanted a mother, since his mother was taken from him when that terrible wonderful horrible liquid was held to his lips.  
Clack click clack, his ancient wooden sword tapped lazily on the ground, as he watched the people go by. A girl of about seventeen saw him, compassion blooming in her jade green eyes immediately. He laughed to himself; she must be new to the city.  
She made her way over to him, bending to his level. "What's wrong little guy?" she asked, smiling broadly. "Are you lost? How old are you?"  
Les doubled over, coughs wracking his little body as though it would split him apart at the seams. He was near eleven, but as he looked up at her, he gave a pathetic little smile. It wasn't hard, he was quite pathetic.  
"Seven," he told her. She held out her hand to him. Les found that he liked the way the sunlight filtered through her curly auburn hair, so bright it hurt his eyes. .  
"Don't worry," she said softly, assuring. "I'll help you find your mother." He made a show of hesitating before he took her hand.  
Oh, don't you worry my dear, he thought to himself as she led him gingerly through the crowd. You've helped me find one already.  
  
Dun dun dun..to be continued! We're officially halfway done with Part One! Yay! ::confetti:: 


	6. Maddy's first day of school

Tainted Love Part One- Malicious Intent  
  
Author's Note: Damn, this took a long time to post, didn't it? Well, I honestly didn't know where to go from chapter 5….  
  
Chapter Six  
  
Cat slouched a little in her chair, the bar was hazy, smoky, but she didn't mind. Tucking the cigar back into her mouth, she looked down at her cards. Good hand, she smirked, looking across the table at Jimmie. He glared back at her, tapping his cigarette into the ash tray next to him. The crowd of people around cheered her on, she was their hero.  
She wouldn't have to go back to lodging house tonight, Cat thought to herself. She would walk the streets, watching the stars, sleeping would be optional. Tomorrow she would play the track with some of the money she won tonight, and all would be well, at least in her mind.  
She was Anthony "Racetrack" Higgins, all she knew was gambling…  
  
Cat sat up with a start, regretting it as soon as she did it. Her neck and wrist still hurt, what a way to remember. The sunlight streamed into her room, Monday morning. Monday meant school, the beginning of the week. How could she go to school now? She was a Necromancer, didn't that give her something? All she could do right now was rot random vampires and draw them like flies.  
What was with her dream? The one about Racetrack. Well, it wasn't exactly about Racetrack was it? It seemed to be set in an old time, and he was her age. This couldn't be part of her whole Necromancer thing, as far as she knew, Racetrack wasn't a vampire. She had no sense of his aura, so she really couldn't tell. He couldn't…could he?  
She curled into the dress shirt she usually wore to bed now. She couldn't help it, it gave her so much comfort. Cat cast a withering glance at the clock, which decided to buzz to life, reminding her that she had to go to school today.  
Wonderful.  
  
Gee fixed the little belt that hung around her waist. School uniforms sucked, she knew that, so she, like many other girls, added a little personal touch. Her belt was basically a chain around her waist, with a little charm hanging from it.  
A dream catcher, actually. Gee didn't like to say she was obsessed with them, she had them all over her room, had one in her locker, and a few over doorways and windows in her apartment. She thought that they kept unwanted evil spirits away.  
Like Spot, her heart thudded painfully in her chest when she thought of him. Jack said that he would behave, and what happened? He got away, and so far, from what she knew, Jack and Racetrack couldn't find him. Wonderful, a psychotic vampire on the loose.  
Speaking of psychotic vampires…her thoughts strayed to David and Mush. What was happening to Mush right now? Why did they have to wait till tomorrow night to find out? Poor Mush could be dead at the moment, and Jack, his master, couldn't care less. She couldn't understand that, but who was she to question vampires? She could turn into a wolf whenever she wanted, except for on the full moon, when she had to.  
God, if only her parents knew…She stopped by her mirror, running a brush through her dark, blue streaked hair. Gee wanted more than anything to just skip out of school today, but she knew that she had to go. Not only because she needed a decent education, but it was Racetrack's first day.  
She, Cat, and the others agreed that it would be a good idea to keep Racetrack, a tie to the "good" vampires, around. It was almost too easy to transfer him from whatever school he was in before.  
"Regina!" Gee jumped as her father called her name. She could picture him in his room, packing for his next trip, and then remembering her had a daughter who went to school.  
"I'm leaving now Dad!" She called back.  
"Are you sure you'll be okay alone for three whole weeks?" His voice called from his bedroom again, Gee flinched as a crashing sound filled the air. Dad must have knocked something over.  
"I'll be fine Dad! You have a good time in Milan!" Sure, she envied her father going on business trips around the world like he did, but hey, he kept him out of her business, and what business it was.  
"It's not fun! It's business!" Gee smirked to herself,.  
"Bye Dad!" She cried. "I love you!"  
"I love you too honey!"  
Her smile was sad as she walked into the hallway, on her way to the elevator. He didn't know just how much she loved him, and if something would happen to her…  
She didn't want to think like that.  
  
With a swift movement, Cat struck her match against the rough brick wall of the school. Holding the lit match to her cigarette, she took a deep breath as soon as it was lit. Ah…this was what she needed. The usual looks of disdain from her fellow students. No one wanting her blood because it was as rare as a fine wine, no lessons in vampire politics. Just a bunch of people believing that she was a psycho killer.  
She was a killer, yes, but she wasn't a psycho. Cat exhaled, letting out a stream of smoke. She watched it lazily as it drifted through the air.  
  
This was her idea of normalcy.  
  
Dear God, she was there already. Racetrack could see her leaning against the wall of the school, looking completely comfortable in her sweet school uniform. He could see the chain around her waist, and if he looked close enough, he could see the pentagram. Gee must have put her up to it, Gee knew a lot about witches and things like that. Almost too much.  
Racetrack bit his lip, watching her from afar. She didn't know that he was a vampire, he could block his aura from her, thank God. He watched her flick the cigarette away, ready to go into the school. Yeah, he wanted to talk to her, let her know that it was okay that she was…what she was.  
He knew she would have a hard time with her powers, which was why they decided she couldn't be the gift to David; accidentally rotting him would NOT be a good idea. Racetrack remembered Crutchy, that old illusion mage, but he was old, almost as old as her was. Magic kept Crutchy alive, and glamours made him look the way he did. To drink the blood of a person with magic is to drink the magic as well, Crutchy would only die.  
Who else? He knew of a few people, he could call in a few favors, but why? This would be putting more people on the line; did he really want to do that? Maybe he could talk to Cat about it, but as he began to walk to where she was, he saw that she was gone.  
He had missed his chance.  
  
Madeline took another hit off her inhaler, she couldn't help it, school made her so nervous! Sometimes the very thought of it would start her wheezing. She couldn't help being fragile, that was just the way she was.  
She smoothed her unruly tawny colored hair, silently wishing that she didn't have such curly hair. Her copper colored eyes darted every which way as she caught odd looks from the students around her.  
Yeah, she thought. Look whose back from the hospital. Missed me much? She knew no one missed her, she knew no one would even remember she was there. She didn't care though, after a few months in the hospital for pneumonia, she was just happy to see the sunshine again.  
She scrambled into her seat, folding her hands and looking down. She was sitting next to a strange girl with black hair and even stranger blackish purple eyes. The girl next to her shivered as though a cold wind went through her; she looked up to meet Madeline's eyes.  
"H-hello," Madeline said. Why did she have to stutter!? The girl's black violet eyes bored through her, and Madeline shivered, there was this strange, cold, deathlike feeling around this girl, and it was hard to explain.  
"Hey," the girl replied. The feeling about this girl was too strong, Madeline was forced to take another hit off her inhaler.  
"I'm s-s-sorry," Madeline said. "I h-h-have asthma" She bit her lip nervously, why was she boring this girl with her life story? "I'm s-s- sorry," she apologized for no reason at all.  
"It's okay," the girl said slowly. "I'm Cat."  
Cat, what a strange name for the girl, but oddly fitting.  
"M-M-M-Madeline, but you c-c-can c-c-cal me M-Maddy.."  
  
Could this day get any odder? The new girl, who wasn't really new, she just got out of the hospital or something, had an odd, human-but-not feeling to her. She wasn't a vampire, or wereanything, if she wasn't mistaken, this Maddy girl was a mage, kind of like her, but she had a sense of the forest around her, not death. She sighed as the girl took yet another hit from her inhaler.  
Racetrack was supposed to be in this class with her, she'd tell him about the feeling, and maybe they could get her over to their side, as the gift for David. Cat knew that it was a little ruthless, just to befriend this girl to hand her over to a psychotic vampire, but they needed a gift badly, and this girl might be it.  
Someone slid into the seat on her other side, and Cat looked up eagerly to see Racetrack. His warm brown eyes were happy to see her and a few classmates gave the boy and odd look. Who would be hanging out with the psycho?  
"Hey Race," she said quietly. She was happy to see him; he made her think she had friends. Maddy looked at Racetrack and sighed, as though she had lost a great battle. Racetrack looked at the girl, and his eyes widened a fraction.  
"I know!" Cat whispered to him, leaning in close. "You feel it too?"  
"Yea, shesa mage, but I really can't tell which," he whispered back. "Where did ya find her?"  
"She found me!" Cat was getting overexcited. There were more people like her! Well, not exactly, but this Maddy girl was sort of like her, and she didn't feel like that much of a freak.  
"Well, people with magic us'lly are 'tracted to each otha," he replied. Suddenly, Cat was very aware of just how close she was to Racetrack, close enough to breath his distinctive, earthy smell that made her heart race (no pun intended), with a snap, she practically fell back in her chair. Instead, she fell against Maddy, both of their auras flaring.  
  
Gee's head snapped up from her math book, trig could wait, she felt something. Someone was doing a spell, and it wasn't Cat, this magic was pure, alive. Cat dealt in death only, this was a spell of life, and it was being done during school hours.  
A few of the kids looked up from their books too, she knew they were probably psychic; the derndest people could surprise her like that.  
Where was this mage? Gee was trying to figure out its element. Did Cat feel it too? Did Racetrack? She eased her racing heart, trying to ignore the magical energies practically choking the air. Hopefully this spell wasn't dangerous…  
  
Outside, Horace Knightly lit a cigarette. School could blow him for all he cared, he was just trying to get to graduation. Leaning against the cool, rough, brick of the building, he stuck the cigarette in his mouth. Yeah, this is how he could get through school.  
Suddenly, he heard a strange sound, like something coming up from the earth beneath him. Looking down, he saw a bunch of thorny vines growing at the base of the school, a few were already growing up his legs. He only had time to get a scream out, before they tangled around him, silencing him.  
  
Cat steadied Maddy, who was having a severe asthma attack from when they knocked into each other. The inhaler was empty, just their luck. The teacher gave Cat and Racetrack permission to escort Maddy to the nurse, and make sure she didn't die along the way. Racetrack ran his handkerchief under one of the water fountains before running back and handing it to Maddy. "Here, breathe through dis." Cat gave him a semi-amused look. "We're not in a fire." "We might be." Maddy herself was panicking, just her luck! Her inhaler ran out, she was having an attack, and two people with death auras were around her. A strange energy had reacted to Cat's death aura as well, and Maddy could only assume that the energy was hers. Could it be? No, she couldn't. This energy felt special, magical. Maddy was just…Maddy. "Madeline-" "M-M-M-Maddy!" "Maddy, do ya feel any weird energy or somethin'? Like right now?" Racetrack tried his best to be kind to her. The hallway was getting darker, which was rather odd. Cat looked over to the window. Her eyes widened, but she said nothing. "I d-d-d-do," Maddy told him. This energy was flowing through her, and it gave her peace.  
Cat tugged on Racetrack's sleeve. "Hey Race, can I do that?" She pointed to the window, and Racetrack's eyes followed.  
"Holy-" Thorny vines completely covered the school, clogging the windows, blocking the light, and freaking the normal student's out.  
Maddy looked at the vines already breaking through the window. "Oh m- my…" she said quietly. Those vines…they were hers, she knew it!  
"Earth mage," Racetrack said. Suddenly, a large creaking sound filled the air, and Cat and Racetrack exchanged looks.  
"Don't even tell me that the thorny things were constricting the school…"  
"I think so," Racetrack replied.  
"What's g-g-g-going on!?" Maddy wheezed, surprisingly, breathing through the wet handkerchief was actually making her feel better. Her breathing was slowly becoming even, and she had a feeling that the soothing energy going through her had something to do with it as well.  
"Maddy, is this you?" Cat asked. Maddy ran her hand through her tawny hair.  
"I th-think so…" Racetrack and Cat exchanged looks.  
  
Gee yawned languidly as the other kids around her screamed. Screaming wasn't going to stop the vines from crushing the school, but if the mage learned control, the vines would stop then.  
She raised her hand, the only one still in her seat. Her teacher looked at the girl as though she were crazy.  
"May I go to the bathroom?" Gee asked politely.  
  
Maddy watched as the vines began to constrict the school. She wanted more than anything to stop this, she was causing this. It didn't seem possible. Racetrack looked at her as though he had no idea what to do, this wasn't his forte, he needed Gee for this.  
Cat was vaguely surprised, another mage in this school? Awesome, she wasn't alone. Okay, so she had Gee, but Gee was trying to hard to be her mother or something. She had one of those….sort of .  
"We need Gee, don't we," she said, her voice deadpan.  
"Yeah, she knows what tah do."  
"What if she can't get out of her class?"  
"I don't think the teachers'll care."  
  
"You most certainly cannot!" Her teacher said. Gee's heart fell. The school was going to die or something, and Gee couldn't stop it? What the heck?  
"Why not?" Gee asked, straining to maintain her politeness.  
The teacher stuck a pencil in her hair, looking defiant.  
"You might cut class."  
  
"She's not coming," Cat decided. "She would be all over this by now." Racetrack couldn't stop pacing, and Maddy was on the verge of tears. He only knew of one way to stop the crazy overuse of power like this, and that would sort of be giving his big secret away.  
"Cat, yer gunna hafta do dis one by yehself," Racetrack told her. "I don't have any magic a myself ya know, I'm more of a…watcha den anythin' else."  
"Me? But I'm a Necromancer…I can't."  
"Okay, as a Necromancer, you kin drain de energy-a otha people, kinda like what'cha did wit da vamp at Spot's party, 'Member?"  
"Vaguely, you want me to do that now?"  
  
"Jus' don't do too much, okay?"  
"Alright," she took his hand, giving it a little squeeze. "Stop me if I get too…crazy."  
Something flashed in Racetrack's eyes, remembrance maybe? Cat shrugged, turning to Maddy. "I'm sorry Maddy…"  
"W-w-w-w-w-what?" Suddenly, Maddy grasped her chest, something was pulling at her heart, and she dropped to her knees. She was so weak, so sleepy…what was Cat doing? She looked up at her. Cat's hand was outstretched, and to her horror, she could see a green energy wind around her fingers.  
Cat wound this energy, this light, around her fingers as she took the energy from Maddy. She glance at Racetrack, who just looked nervous, he couldn't see the magic coming from Maddy, which was sad. It was so beautiful.  
The creaking sound stopped, and the vines began to recede. Cat's hand was still outstretched.  
"Racetrack…" she said quietly. "Stop me." Racetrack looked at her, the color leaving his face. She couldn't stop herself, she didn't learn control yet. He grabbed her hand, but it didn't seem to snap her out of it. Pushing her against the wall, he buried his face into her neck. Not biting…never biting, but just giving her a small, light kiss on a freckle at the base of her throat.  
The familiarity of the kiss startled Cat, and her hand dropped lifelessly to her side. Madeline slumped to the ground, alive, but tired as all hell. Cats around slipped around Racetrack's waist, and he tensed. What was she doing?  
Cat felt safe, she didn't know why, but she just wanted to be like this. It wasn't Racetrack, not really, although she was rather happy he was the one to stop her, anyone could have done that, and they would have gotten the same reaction. He was her anchor, and she needed something to hold on to.  
Racetrack closed his eyes. This wouldn't exactly last, not really. Most likely Cat was just randomly attracted to the dead aspect of his personality, she didn't mean to, it was the death mage in her, the Necromancer. Maddy moaned, and Racetrack pushed himself away from Cat. He was just attracted to the death mage in her, just as she was to the vampire in him. It wasn't personal, it was magical.  
He knelt next to Maddy, helping her up. The girl was dazed, no question, school was a horrible place to manifest one's powers. She seemed rather calm though, as though several answers were finally revealed to her…and they were.  
"Maddy, um…vampiyahs, werewolves, and mages exist…" he explained.. Maddy nodded.  
"Okay." She couldn't help but feel a little special. She, of all people, was a person with magic. She looked at Cat and Racetrack, a weird smile coming to her face.  
"Welcome to the group, Maddy," Cat said, still against the wall. Maddy nodded, kneeling down and picking up her empty inhaler.  
"So…this is j-j-j-just l-like Buf-f-fy?"  
  
to be continued! Dun dun dun…  
  
Author's note: I know, I know, not a lot of vampire madness, but it's three o clock in the morning at the moment, I took whatever inspiration I could… 


	7. All in a day's work

Tainted Love  
Part One- Malicious Intent  
  
Author's Note: This story's been going on for a little over a month! I'm so proud of it!  
  
Chapter Seven  
  
"You have to focus," Gee said quietly. She was trying as hard as she could to be patient with the poor girl sitting in front of her. An open packet of seeds lay next to a terra cotta pot of soil; a few unplanted seeds littered the table. Maddy bit her lip, taking a hit off her inhaler. Her eyes nervously flicked to Gee and Cat, why were they making her do this!? Cigarette smoke hung in the air, and Cat tapped a few ashes off of the cigarette in her hand.  
"Coax it to life.feel the seeds with your power." Gee really didn't believe this stuff, but she knew that Maddy would take this to heart. As a budding earth mage, Maddy should have been making those plants grow just by being there, but the girl had blocked off her powers due to low self esteem.  
"Maddy, are you sure you have enough energy for this?" Cat asked as gently as she could. She had sucked a rather large quantity of power from her when Maddy almost destroyed the school. Cat felt bad, because she really couldn't control herself yet. As far as she knew, only Racetrack could make her stop her energy drain of doom. Cat could see a vague forest green aura around Maddy, maybe she could.  
Her own aura, a dense black, flared as much as Cat allowed it to. Her power, at the moment, was dormant, and didn't like to be stirred awake. She narrowed her eyes, concentrating hard on the weak aura that Maddy had, reaching out with her power, just to touch it, just to wake it up. The forest green aura grew, striking against Cat's own aura, just as unhappy as being woken up. Maddy gasped, probably feeling the rush of power as her aura flared to life.  
Cat retreated, looking innocent. Gee took a deep breath. "I smell the forest," she admitted. Gee also felt the two auras lashing out, it made her shiver. They had such different auras; black and dark green. Maddy looked up at Gee for guidance.  
"Ask it to grow," was all Gee could say. Maddy turned her copper colored gaze on the pot of soil, staring at it intently. She willed her power into it, filling the soil with it. With a small cry of triumph, she felt the seed crack open, the little green shoot bursting through the soil. The shoot grew rapidly, getting taller, and thicker, and soon a white flower opened. Maddy had grown a daisy.  
"Good job!" Cat breathed. She wished she could do cool stuff like that, but you know, reducing a vampire to a skeleton was pretty cool. Too bad all the vamps she sees are on the "good guys" side. Speaking of good vampires.  
"Where's Jack?" She asked. Jack and Spot were the good vampires in the little team they formed. Racetrack was Jack's blood slave, as far as any of them knew.  
"Something about someone's little brother and God knows where Spot is," Gee said offhandedly. "It's your turn, Cat."  
"There aren't any vampires for me to rot at the moment, Gee," Cat replied. The other girl gave her a patronizing look.  
"You can do more than that, Cataluna."  
"Call me Cat!"  
  
Racetrack watched Jack walk with a sort of indignant anger. Why, after all these years, was Racetrack still hanging around him? They used to be friends, until Jack made Racetrack immortal. Sure, the first years were fun, no problem. Then he started to realize that these were people he was feeding off of. Sorry if he had a conscience.  
"Where do ya tink Spot is?" Racetrack asked his sire, breaking the thick silence.  
"I don't know," Jack replied. And the conversation died. He didn't know why Jack suddenly felt compelled to find Les. Racetrack didn't want to see him again, not after the little problem they had with Spot in the beginning. Why would he want to find his Claudia?  
The crying of a woman, the tap tap tap of his little wooden sword. Racetrack closed his eyes as they entered the rundown building. It used to be an old vaudeville theater, and it cost more money to tear down than to leave standing. On the "stage" was a woman with auburn hair. She looked at the little boy in front of her with fear brimming in those jade green eyes of hers. Les smiled down at her, and to Racetrack's horror, grabbed her wrists, forcing her to her knees.  
Racetrack could see the bite marks all over her neck. Les got full easily, so who knew how long that poor girl had been there, his occasional meal. Jack watched, almost disinterested.  
Les grabbed her by the throat, a fanged smile coming to his lips.  
"You came." he said to the two vampires behind him.  
  
"Are you saying I could tell the future with dead people?"  
"I'm saying you can be a diviner with spirits."  
"Awesome!" Cat fixed the stones in a sort of circle around her, raising her eyes to look at Gee and Maddy. The latter clutched her plant desperately, she didn't believe in ghost stories.  
"You need something that belongs to someone who is dead, that hasn't been touched much." Cat gave her a strange look.  
"We don't keep dead people's things around here a lot."  
"But you had a father who."  
"No." But even as she was saying it, curiosity rose up inside of her. What would her father have to say? She bit her lip, but did she really want her father coming back? What if her mother walked in? Okay, so her mother wasn't coming home till God knows when. Maybe she was just looking for excuses. Maybe she should just try.  
"In my parent's room, there is a large wooden chest at the foot of the bed. That's full of my dad's stuff. Grab his glasses or something." Gee nodded, turning and heading into the little hallway thing leading to the bedrooms. Maddy came close to the circle of stones, but didn't pass into the circle. She could feel the powerful tension of this sacred circle. Gee's footsteps could be heard scrambling back into the living room section. In her hands was her father's favorite mug. Cat smiled softly, she gave him that mug for Christmas years ago, before he wasted away.  
Cat knew what to do.  
  
"Les, it's nice to see you again," Jack said. Playing peacekeeper wasn't exactly his forte, but what else could he do? Leave it to Racetrack? Hardly. Less didn't bother to turn around, and for a moment, there was nothing but the frightened gasps of the woman, and that annoying tap tap tap.  
"Yes, it is, isn't it." Les turned this time, looking at Jack with cold brown eyes. "You look well." His eyes flicked to Racetrack, who began to tremble.  
"And you, Racetrack."  
"Thanks, Les, you're lookin' good to," was Racetrack's nervous reply. Les's expression never changed.  
"You're here on time, gentlemen, it's very surprising to say the least."  
"Please don't hurt me." the woman whispered. Tears leaked out of the corner of her eyes, Racetrack couldn't help but look away.  
Jack's expression remained undaunted as he walked over to the pair. Taking the woman from Les's grip, he helped her to her feet. Les looked up at Jack with a look of admiration as Jack sank his teeth into her soft throat. Racetrack coughed back a gag. How could they do this?  
  
Cat picked up her switchblade, consecrated now, and held it over the flame. "With blood I call your spirit from the grave." She bit her lip, cutting her finger. Dark red blood welded up on her finger, and she dripped it over the flame. It sizzled, but it didn't go out. She also traced blood around the rim of the mug. Maddy and Gee watched, their hearts swelling as though they were about to burst. The magical tension in here was stifling.  
She ran her tongue across the blade, licking her blood off. "With steel, I call your spirit from the grave." She passed her switchblade through the flame. "Come forth, Kyle McCain!" The magical charge in the air crackled, and the flame began to flare to life, becoming a fire.  
What calls me? Cat heard whispers in her ear, a cold shiver running down her back.  
"I do," she replied. "I have called you from your grave, from your rest.father."  
  
"Stop," Les said softly. Jack pulled away, a thin trickle of blood making its way to his chin. It wasn't the blood of a Necromancer, but it was still blood. He looked at Les.  
"Why? You feel sorry for her all of a sudden?" The girl was still alive, but not for long. One good gulp could probably kill her; Jack thought she looked lovely, her skin deathly pale, her auburn hair tangled, her jade green eyes blank. Yes, lovely.  
"Of course not, but one in an existence such as mine can be lonely." Jack knew what he was getting at, but Racetrack still watched the scene from afar. The words finally sunk in and he took a step forward, shaking his head.  
"No." Les' cold eyes fixed on Racetrack's, making a shiver go down the older vampire's back. Racetrack could still remember a time when Les was an excited, young boy with plenty of opportunities. Well, that didn't happen, and Racetrack could help but feel pity. Les turned away, seeing the emotion in his eyes. The last thing he wanted was pity.  
  
You're my.daughter? Cat nodded to the flame, she knew that she was the only person in the room that could hear what the spirit was saying. Gee and Maddy stood just outside the circle, waiting for something to happen. "I am," she told it. "Do you remember?"  
Yes, how could I forget you? Catty. Tears flooded Cat's eyes at the mention of her nickname. That was going to be her test to see if it was really her father, he was the only one who called her "Catty". "I'm here to ask you questions."  
About the future, I presume? I hear we know it, but it's wrong and right at the same time. We know the future, present, past, it's all the same to us. And before I tell you anything, I think I should tell you something far for important than that."  
"What would that be?"  
The circumstances of my death. I didn't die of any sickness, Catty. I was murdered.  
  
"You can't jus' make anuddah vampiyah because ya lonely," Racetrack said, now that Les' back was turned. He hated looking at the tiny child vampire, he couldn't without feeling a certain degree of guilt. This was going too far, however, way too far. Jack lit a cigarette with his free hand, still cradling the girl in his arms.  
"Why don't you just do it then?" Jack asked, looking up at Les. The boy shrugged, walking over to the pair. He reached up and touched the girl's beautiful hair.  
"I can't," he explained. "Don't you know? I have no strength to do this, my body is too young." His eyes flicked to Racetrack, who angrily lit a cigar. Jack considered the girl in his arms, before laying a kiss on her half closed eyes.  
"Alright, I will make your companion-"  
"No!" Jack shoot a stern look at Racetrack.  
"But you will owe us a favor."  
  
"Murdered!? You couldn't- I saw you die! It was like."  
I drifted away? I died of loss of blood, Cat, every night I would be visited by a dark figure, and he would take blood from me, and then cut his finger. Putting blood on the wound would heal it. There were no marks, were there? Because they were healed.  
Cat's thoughts went to a few days ago, when she woke up one night and all the cuts she had from the night before were gone. Healed. Her fingers went up to touch these scars, which were already fading.  
"A vampire?"  
Yes. I know this must be hard for you to believe.wait, you're doing to necromancy ritual, I don't think that this will be a surprise.  
"It is to know that my life was part of the whole crazy vampire thing even before I knew it was."  
Sorry.  
"It's alright."  
Do you want to know about the future now? I can tell you want to change the subject.  
  
Jack bit his wrist, pressing it against her lips. Her mouth remained closed, as though she didn't want to become like them. Racetrack pitched his cigar aside, turning and walking to the door. Les said nothing, his eyes watched the vampire in front of him, innocently wide and excited, like a child at Christmas.  
Racetrack slammed the door open, and Jack looked up. He warned Racetrack not to loose it, and there he was, storming out the door.  
"Let him go. Finish it." Jack looked at the little boy, slightly startled by the power in his voice. If they went through with this, a favor would be owed, but a new vampire would be born. He looked down at the girl in his arms, the lack of emotion tired him, but what else was he to do? Finally he sighed, just as the girl took him by surprise.  
She sunk her teeth into his wrist.  
  
Okay, you want to know about boys, don't you? Well, you'll have plenty of them and that little dark haired friend of yours too. The boys will practically rip each other up over the two of you.  
"Gee?" Cat asked, raising an eyebrow. She didn't have Gee pegged for a guy magnet.  
That one, I guess. You however, better be careful Catty, if I were still alive, don't get me started. There's something important I should tell you, before I forget and our time is up.  
Cat shot a look at the fire, which was swiftly turning back to a candle flame. She had to end the ritual soon.  
One of the boys trying to get your attention, one of them.well, he's.I'm forgetting.  
"Take your time," Cat told her father's spirit without even noticing. It was too easy to forget that this was her father. She was taking this too easily.  
I'm sorry, it's sort of easy to forget things when you're dead, I mean, it's just not important anymore. I guess it's important to you though.  
"It is."  
Well, one of the boys who's 'falling' for you, he was the one that killed me."  
Cat sat there in stunned silence, her eyes wide and unbelieving. "What do you mean.?  
He's still a nice boy, he just looses it sometimes, you know?  
"No! I don't really."  
Oh, I'm sorry.it's hard to think that it's upsetting to you. I'm so used to death already; I don't get how life is afraid of it. The fire's dying, you have to end the ritual.  
"I don't want to," she said quietly. She felt a cold rush through her, the power was done for now.Cat slowly reached for her salt shaker and sprinkled a bit into her palm. She turned and looked at Gee and Maddy, they both watched her expectantly. She turned back to the flame, and sprinkled salt over it.  
"With salt I send you back in your grave! Go and rise no more!" A cold wind blew through the apartment, giving all present the chills. Maddy whimpered, clutching her potted daisy tighter. She didn't enjoy this death magic, it felt wrong to her in some way. She preferred making plants grow.The apartment had a strange sense of silence, as the chest tightening feeling of the spirit left the room. Cat broke the circle, feeling the rush of power go back into her. She looked up at Gee.  
"Happy now?"  
  
Jack sat on the fire ledge, looking out on the glittery lights of the city. It was so beautiful to him, the way the night looked in New York. The darkness covered up all of the disgusting, dirty aspects of the city. Yes, nothing but that lovely velvet darkness. He held his wrist, a dirty cloth wrapped around it out of habit. The girl was rather vicious with his wrist this time, nearly biting through it, it seemed to him. The cloth was soaked through with blood, but as he removed it, his wrist was fine, whole and perfect.  
His eyes found the city lights again, and he leaned his head against cool brick of the wall behind him, sighing to himself. Les had gone to teach the girl to hunt, it was odd, these role reversals, like son teaching mother how to walk, or some strange thought like that. Jack shook his head. He could at least call a favor for when they went to talk to David. Hopefully, everything would click together. yeah, hopefully.  
His thoughts traveled to the three girls, what was he going to do with them? They had gotten in way over their heads. was he worried about them? He shouldn't have been, they're all humans, cattle. He shook his head, this attitude, he had to get rid of it. He was working with these humans now, he had to stop thinking about them as though they were food. He closed his eyes. How could he have lowered himself to this? He shrugged.  
Spot had been missing, interesting. What was the practically insane vampire doing at this moment? Jack hated not knowing.  
Tomorrow was the day he'd hopefully get his servant back. He didn't mind really, but not caring about one of your servant sort of made you look weak. Plus, Mush was a nice guy. Jack himself hated the whole "gift" situation, especially for David. He liked the more magical flavors, which meant that either the curly haired one or Cat would have to go. Damn, he hated vampire culture.  
Jack opened his eyes, looking out over New York at nighttime, wrapped in that stunning velvet darkness. Why did everyone have to look up to him? Just because he was the oldest of the bunch? He was no one's older brother.  
He turned to go back inside, the night was young, and he had to feed. Tomorrow though.  
Tomorrow would be a rather interesting day. 


	8. I swear, it's just a detour

nut  
Tainted Love  
Part One- Malicious Intent  
  
Author's note: Thanks to all who review me, I'd be e-mailing all who asked, but I'm rather shy. Heh. We're 80% done with part one! Yay! (btw: Musette!? From Cerulean Sins? I LOVE YOU!!!) And I'd like to shout-out to my new muse: Hamster With Four Names, he's my new hamster, and he's my new muse. So yay!!  
  
Chapter 8  
  
Maddy took another nervous hit off her inhaler. Of course something like this would happen to her. Of course she couldn't just have a normal life. She looked up at the pale moonlight filtering through the trees of Central Park. She was supposed to be meeting everyone there; she bit her lip slightly, taking another step forward. She hated standing on the grass, because it would grow around her feet, almost to her knees, only when she took another step would the grass go down again.  
It was annoying, to say the least. She knelt next to a tree that had ivy growing up the trunk and held her hand out. A new sprig of ivy grew towards her, curling around her hand and wrist. It was cool, she'd give this whole thing that, but why did it mean that she'd make a good meal for a crazy vampire? She'd known these people for two days.  
"Madeline?" A voice caught Maddy off-guard, and she stumbled over. She couldn't see that well in the darkness, but this person could. The crunching of leaves mirrored the harsh beating of her heart as she waited her copper colored eyes wide. She pushed her glasses farther up her nose. Maddy breathed a huge sigh of relief when Anthony "Racetrack" Higgins walked out of the shadows.  
"R-r-r-r-race?" She asked quietly. He gave her a gentle smile.  
"Yeah, how long have ya been here?" Racetrack asked, Maddy noted a distinct change in his attitude. He was sadder, and just a little ticked off.  
"Wh-what's wr-r-rong?"  
"Nothin'.no one else is here yet?" She shook her head.  
"N-n-no."  
"Oh." He sat down beside her, lighting a cigar. Maddy took another hit off her inhaler, shaking slightly.  
"S-s-s-so.how d-d-did you g-g-get into this whole...th-thing?" She asked, breaking the silence. Racetrack looked at her out of the corner of his eyes.  
"Whaddya mean?"  
"W-w-w-with the vampire's and s-s-stuff." Racetrack smirked a little bit, jamming his hand in his pocket.  
"Well, dat's a sorta long story, but Ah'll tell ya dis," he took his hand out of his pocket, showing her a worn, ancient looking pack of cards. "Dis..kinda was my downfall."  
"C-c-c-cards?"  
"Gamblin', I don't do that stuff no more."  
"That's g-g-g-good.."  
"Oh.what a touching little conversation." Maddy and Racetrack looked up to see Jack, Les, and the auburn haired girl making their way down the pathway to them. Les smirked at Racetrack, who looked at the girl.  
"I see ya found Nicole Vitale," he remarked. Les's expression didn't change. Racetrack took a crumpled piece of paper out of his pocket and tossed it to Jack. The girl looked down at her folded hands, biting her lip, and cutting herself on her fangs. She made a little sound of surprise as the cut quickly healed. Les put a tiny hand on her elbow.  
"It's alright, Aura, there is nothing to be ashamed of." Jack unrolled the crumpled paper and looked at the missing person's flyer.  
"You would worry about this," Jack said, a grin twisting his lips. Maddy took another hit off her inhaler, third time in the night.  
"Cat an' Gee are gunna be here soon, Gee hates your kind anyways." Racetrack began, Jack snickered.  
'Oh really, I find that funny, aren't we your kind too?"  
Maddy watched this little exchange with a look of outright fear. What was going on? What did they mean? She was about to speak up when Gee and Cat finally decided to make an appearance.  
"Anthony, Jack.who are these people?" Gee said, her challenging blue eyes flicking from Aura to Les. It was weird, the little boy had that Vampiric aura around him.maybe he was a servant.  
"This is Les and Aura," Jack said. "This is Aura's second day as a vampire." Gee's eyes flashed with something that was close to anger, but not quite.  
"You sired this girl?"  
"Congrats, you figured it out." Jack's smug smirk didn't last for long though, Gee slapped it off his face. Cat, Racetrack, Aura, Maddy, and Les watched with mixed reactions as Jack pinned her against the tree. Gee seethed, her eyes had bled to a feral amber yellow, wolf's eyes.  
"You sired her!? Under my nose!?" Jack noted her sharpening teeth, and her already thick blue streaked hair getting thicker. She scratched at him, her nails definitely growing into claws.  
"Control yourself!" He growled. "If you shift here, we'll be in serious trouble, you got that? Do you really want to go padding into David's place as a wolf?"  
Cat leaned over to Racetrack. "It's not the full moon though," she whispered.  
"She can change anytime she wants," he replied.  
"Oh."  
Gee finally calmed down, her claw-like fingers going back to normal, only her wolfish eyes stayed. "That's the last one you'll sire, Jack Kelly. The last one." Jack smirked, unpinning her and letting her go.  
"Whatever you wish," he replied, the smug grin coming back to his face.  
  
David yawned idly, covering his mouth politely with his hand. This was taking too long, he was bored. His blue eyes trailed over Mush's broken body. This had taken a lot out of him, this whole torture business, especially since the victim could keep healing himself. This whole thing made him tired, all he had wanted to really do was meet Jack again.and have some nice Necromancer blood. They had promised him that.  
Mush bit back another scream as he attempted to move. After being burned, skewered, cut, slashed, bitten, and who knew what else, he was amazed that his insanity kept in tact. He squeezed his eyes shut, Jack would come for him soon. He could feel it. He was sorry for failing Racetrack, he really was..  
"Oh, they're coming," David said, as though he had read Mush's thoughts. "To bargain for you, I don't understand why." David calmly glided over to him, before kicking him expertly in the ribs. Mush cried out, this was almost too much for him to bear, but it wasn't all the same.  
"Jack can just make another one, and another one, he cares not for such things like this. Someone else is making him come for you, it's probably Racetrack, the little bleeding heart humanitarian." David tossed his head in disgust. "You are all cattle. That's it!"  
Mush looked up at David through a haze of blood. "That's why."  
"What!? I thought I ripped your throat out hours ago, shouldn't your vocal chords be damaged still?"  
They were, Mush's voice came out raspy, painful sounded, but he still spoke.  
"That's why no one likes you, no one cares for you.you think too."  
David kicked Mush's arms out from under him, causing the poor boy to go crashing to the floor. Before he could get back up again, David place his foot on the back of his neck. "What was that, human?" He said, spitting the word "human" out like a dirty word.  
"You think too much like He did.that's why they killed him, remember?"  
David was horrified, with a cry of anger, he kicked Mush in the head, sending the boy into blissful unconsciousness.  
  
Cat looked warily at Jack as they walked. He was a vampire, a male vampire; could he have killed her father? That would also mean he was going to fall for her, or something like that. There was no real attraction between her and Jack, none really. Her mind drifted to Racetrack, what about him? There was something between them, no question, but Racetrack was just one of Jack's blood slaves, he wasn't capable of doing such things.he was such a nice boy too.  
Spot. Cat couldn't believe that she didn't see this before. What about Spot? He had gone missing shortly after her real powers manifested. They obviously had something at that party.she could vaguely remember. Had he gotten scared when he found out what she could really do? Hopefully he would never come back again. She breathed a sigh of relief. She wanted to think that once they got Mush from David, this would all be over, but she had a feeling that it was pretty much just the beginning.  
What a cliché. She rolled her eyes, when suddenly something cold passed through her, she cried out. Jack and Racetrack looked over to her in unison. Cat's violet black eyes were wide, as her eyes darted to the side.  
They were walking next to a graveyard. Racetrack sighed a little in relief, she was just sensing the dead. He made his way over to her, his brown eyes full of concern. Taking her arm, he forced her to look at him. She was scared, he could feel it. This wasn't good, considering she was the stronger of the two mages. They needed her to steady Maddy, just in case the poor earth mage got scared again, David wouldn't be too pleased if his place was overrun with blossoms and vines and that sort of thing. The gardener was still working on de-weeding the school.  
"We hafta walk through da graveyard," he said to her. "Can you cut ya powah back?" Her eyes got even wider as they looked over the graves.  
"I don't know. I can't concentrate." The voices, not coming when called, ran through her head, telling her horrible secrets she didn't want to hear, only to be forgotten when the voice moved on. Her power was building, enlivened by the dead, she cried out once more, just wanting to sweet release of her power. Les' lamplike eyes went wide, he could feel it too.  
"Jack, Jack!" He clutched Aura's arm. "Make her stop!" For the first time in a long time, Les just looked like a scared, worried kid. Jack hated this part, just because he was the oldest, why did everyone rely on him to get the job done? Cat was still freaking out, what an obnoxious obstacle. Of course he couldn't trust this motley crew to get to David with no problem.  
Cat pulled away from Racetrack, stumbling over a short tombstone and landing on the ground. Just that was enough to sent her power crashing outward, and into the ground. Maddy's wide eyes got even wider, with her powers tied into life; she felt it before anyone else. Cat shivered, what just happened? She had felt the distinct discharge of her power.Gee smelled the air, her amber wolves' eyes growing wide as well.  
"Cat." Racetrack said slowly. "What did you do?" The girl didn't even have to say anything however, because the almost wet sound of breaking earth filled the air. Jack went instantly on guard, brown drowning his pupils, making him look almost blind. He bared his fangs, this was NOT going to be good! Les, cling to Aura, who had no idea what was going on. Cat looked helplessly around; unaware of what she had just did.  
Until, of course, the hand burst through the ground beneath her, grabbing her ankle. She screamed just as Gee let out a howl.  
"Regina! Don't you-" Jack was cut off as Gee collapsed underneath shifting limbs. He rubbed at his temples.long night. He watched stoically as clothes were ripped, and fur flowed like water. Pretty soon a she wolf rolled on her back, getting onto her paws. Her black lips peeled back in a growl, and Jack followed what she was looking at.  
There they stood, some completely fresh corpses, other barely kept together skeletons.they made a crude circle around Cat, she had called them. A hand still grabbed her ankle, long nails digging so hard she knew it drew blood. Blood was what they wanted, what all undead wanted. Wolf Gee howled, lunging at the nearest zombie, the thing didn't turn until she clamped down hard on its arm. It let out a wordless wail, flailing its arm and sending Gee flying. The wolf hit a tombstone.then lay still.  
Les hid behind Aura, who still had no idea what to do. She looked at Jack, he would know, but Jack was still rubbing his temples, unsure himself. Racetrack tried to push through the zombies to get to Cat, but it was too hard. They would have to fight them, how wonderful. He took a deep breath, how could he do this without showing Cat what he was? Did it matter anymore? She wouldn't mind.right? Racetrack didn't want to think about that now.  
Fire. Fire would chase the zombies away.but where would he get fire? He searched his pocket for a lighter, finding nothing. He glanced at Maddy.why couldn't she be a fire mage? Of course not.  
The circle of zombies was stirring, without a master, they would go nuts. Cat had no control over her power; no way could she be a master. Racetrack wracked his brain for an idea.  
Jack beat him to it. "Madeline." The girl looked up from where she was taking frantic hits from her inhaler. "Can you wrap them all in vines?" Maddy took a deep breath. Could she? She took a deep breath; both Cat and Gee were pretty much out of commission. ho could steady her?  
Someone took her hand; she looked down to see Les, his childlike face earnest.  
"You can do this," he said quietly. She was unnerved; this little boy's hand was so cold. She nodded, turning her eyes back to the ring of zombies. She stood very still, calling her power from within. She could feel the earth tingle to life beneath her, with her mind she could plant the seeds to anything she called forth from this fertile ground.  
She let go of Les' hand, kneeling down and digging her fingers into the earth. She stood back up with a clump of wet earth in her hand. Inhaling the sweet aroma, she threw it to the ground, opening her eyes, which turned a forest green. She flung her hand out towards the ring of zombies, pulling the earth with her.pulling what she wanted with her.  
Bursting through the wet soil, just as the zombies had, came the dark vines, twisting around them, covering them. They struggled, making more disturbing unnerving screams. Maddy exhaled, her eyes still retaining the green, instead of her normal copper. Cat tried to get her ankle out of the zombie's death grip, but only succeeded in ripping her skin more viciously. Jack looked at her with something close to pity.  
"Race," he said. "Go check on Gee." Although Racetrack wanted to see if Cat was all right, he nodded, practically sprinting to where the wolf.no, not a wolf...a human, lay still.  
He ignored her obvious nakedness, taking off his duster and draping it over her. He had a feeling she might shift during the night.but he didn't think like this. Usually lycanthropes only shift back to normal after they are seriously injured.or dead.  
"Gee, you are NOT dead, ah'll tell ya dat!" Sure, he had a way of fixing her.but he didn't want to do that. not to Gee. He could feel a pulse, but it wasn't that strong. She was seriously injured, almost too much for her fast healing to even know where to start.  
"Let me help her." A small voice said behind him. Suddenly, Aura was kneeling right next to him, a switchblade in her hand.  
"Whattaya doin'?" He asked. She gave a small smile, cutting her palm open. Dark red blood sparkled in the moonlight, dripping onto Gee's pale skin.  
"You know." He grabbed her wrist.  
"I don't want ya too. You're too young." Her jade green eyes twinkled a little bit as she picked up Gee's limp hand. The blade cut quickly, and soon the two hands were joined together. Racetrack squeezed his eyes shut. Gee would not be happy.  
  
"Come on you," Jack said gently, kneeling down to break the fingers of the corpse that held her bloody ankle. She whimpered, attempting to pull away from him. He just shook his head, a small smile playing on his lips.  
"Listen, I'm not going to hurt you," he told her. She looked less than convinced. Her ankle was free, and Jack gave a sigh.  
"'Thanks, Jack,' I swear, I get no gratitude around here." Cat eyes now shifted to the struggling zombies.  
"What about them?" She asked.  
"Do you have a lighter?"  
"Matches."  
"Perfect." He looked down t her bloody ankle. "First, we have to fix this.don't worry, I'm not marking you or anything. I'm not mixing enough blood."  
He bit his finger, rubbing a little of his own blood into her cut. She shrieked, pulling away from him.  
"STOP!" Her breath came faster, obviously in more pain than she started. "It burns." Jack raised an eyebrow at this. If it were anyone else, he would assume that this was a blood slave. When a person is made a blood slave, all other vampire blood besides that of his master burns, it's a sign of ownership.  
She wasn't anyone's slave, he practically knew for a fact.right? He tried to remember her blood, it tasted familiar, but he always assumed that was because it had that taint of death. He helped her to her feet then, pulling her close, attempting to get into her mind.  
Cat pulled away, disgusted. "Leave me alone!" She obviously assumed that Jack had purposely hurt her, how sad. He shook his head as he helped her limp out of the odd circle. He handed her off to Maddy.  
"Matches?" She wordlessly dug into her pocket, producing a small packet of matches. He took them, looking at Maddy.  
"Make the vines die." Her green eyes widened slightly, then she nodded. Holding her hands out in front of her, she drew that power back in, and the vines began to dry out, tightening around the zombies, they screeched some more. Jack strolled over to the nearest vine covered zombie and lit a match.  
  
Racetrack and Aura managed to get Gee to her feet enough so that Jack could carry her. She was healing pretty fast, but going into human form so quickly had drained most of her energy. Cat leaned on Racetrack for support, Les walked close to Maddy, enthralled by her power. Silhouetted by the bonfire Jack had created, they walked through the graveyard, pretty much emptied out by the necromancy provided by Cat.  
"Do you think anyone will notice?" Les asked, his wide eyes watching the smoke curl into the air.  
"Nah." Jack replied.  
  
Cat practically clung to Racetrack as they entered the dark, abandoned warehouse. How come all vampires had to live somewhere spooky? She just didn't understand it. Her hand found Racetrack's, and gave it a gentle squeeze. He smile slightly, before looking at the figured wrapped in shadow.  
"You're late." ` 


	9. A few overdramatic revelations

Tainted Love (Or, now named Tainted Love and Bloody Tears) Part One- Malicious Intent  
  
Author's Note: As I write this, I'm watching "Ed Wood".it's odd to see Max Casella in another movie.  
  
Chapter 9  
  
Cat didn't want to move, she didn't want to say anything. She just stood there, hand still in Racetrack's as she stared blankly at the person everyone was afraid of. Her mouth went dry, and her ankle still throbbed, the place was completely silent and she felt compelled to say something to break this infernal silence.  
"That's him?" She asked. Her eyes searched the faces of her comrades, and all she got was either bafflement (Aura and Maddy), wordless terror (Jack and Racetrack) or just.blankness (Gee and Les). Well.Gee was still completely out of it, Jack held her almost protectively. David sneered, his blue eyes flashing as he eyes rested on Cat. He walked up to her, getting a little too close for comfort. His eyes were like blue flame, and she fought the urge to step back.  
"You must be the Necromancer, I've seen things, and I've heard things, are they all true?" He closed his eyes and breathed in one of those deep, unnecessary breaths, as though he took a deep breath of her scent. Cat's skin crawled.  
"Not a word of it," she said, keeping a straight face. "I was told that I'd be getting a little taste of you tonight?" He reached for her, but Racetrack stepped in between them. "We brought somethin' diff'rent from what we told ya," he explained, jerking his thumb in Maddy's direction. "Earth mage." David's eyes narrowed, but he knew that he was not allowed to refuse the gift. "I can deal." His nostril's flared, and those gas flame eyes slid over the rest of the crowd.as though looking for someone.  
"Where's Spot?" He asked, his question aimed at Jack. "Usually he's around here."  
"He didn't want to show up," Jack answered curtly. Racetrack gently pulled Cat away from David in a fierce, protective movement. David looked pleased as he and Jack locked eyes. Cat didn't understand the whole situation, and probably no one would explain it to her. Les looked over at the other vampire with a blank, indifferent look. David's face lit up upon seeing this young looking boy in the group.  
"Les! Les Jacobs!" David walked passed the others as though they were nothing, kneeling in front of the boy. Les turned his head sharply to the side, avoiding his eyes.  
"Hello David."  
"What-" Cat cut herself off, like anyone would answer her now. David turned back to Jack, this time noting the half conscious girl in his arms. He got up, and made his way back to Jack. His fingers touched Gee's hair, running through those thick, blue streaked strands. Jack flinched, as though David were touching him, not her. There was a hunger in David's eyes as his hand attempted to open the closed duster. Jack pulled her away.  
"And who is this?" Cat wanted to slap that look off his face.  
"Her name is Regina, and she's had a rough night," was Jack's reply. She stirred, eyelids fluttering. She moaned some sort of threat and Jack gently put her down. Just like her to insist to walk on her own.  
Maddy didn't like him, her eyes, still green from her magic, looked him up and down, trying to figure out where the aura of fear was coming from. It was his power; she knew that, like a cold wind on the back of her neck.almost like Cat's.  
Aura watched Les, considering he was the only other vampire besides her that didn't look scared. He caught her eye and gave her a little smile; everything was going to be okay. She nodded back at him, but no smile graced her lips.  
She was trying to feel some sort of emotion about what had happened to her. She was a vampire now, wasn't she? Why didn't she care? She shrugged, quietly watching the exchange.  
"Alright, David, you know why we're here," Jack began, his usually smug and bored voice carrying a current of fear.  
David flashed a charming smile. "Can't you feel him, Jacky-boy?"  
"Don't call me that."  
"The others can."  
"You're different."  
David looked pleased with himself as his eyes settled one a place somewhere behind them. Racetrack looked first, slightly turning to look behind him. His eyes widened, snapping his head back to look at David.  
"Cat, Gee, Aura, Maddy, don't look behind ya." Jack, Racetrack, and Les, turned around, and Cat could hear the sharp intake of breath from each of them. Why couldn't she see it? Was it some annoying vampire thing? Aura wasn't allowed either.  
Cat spun around, who were they to say that she couldn't see what was behind them?  
  
Her mind couldn't process what was in front of her, it wouldn't allow her to. Mush, covered in blood, was nailed to the wall through his wrists. Blood dripped down in a heavy stream, as his head lolled back and forth, white foam dripping from his parched lips. He moaned, lolling his head up, his ginger eyes resting in Jack. If Cat wasn't mistaken, she saw a look of hope flash through his bloodshot eyes.  
Cat gasped as her power flared, reacting to the spilled blood and feeling of death. She turned to David, anger burning in her eyes.  
"How dare you."  
David smiled at her in a disgustingly patronizing way. "How dare me? Little girl, you don't understand. Stupid little humans like you...." Cat looked as though she were about to attack him, when Racetrack beat her to the punch, literally.  
"Racetrack!" Jack cried. Why did everything always have to go wrong? David reached up and touched his lip, pulling back to see the blood. A smile graced his lips as he licked the blood off his fingers. Maddy tried not to look disgusted, Aura tried not to look enthralled.  
"I know what this is about, Anthony," David stalked towards Racetrack, who stared him down with angry eyes. "This is about Sarah."  
"Don't you dare bring her up!" Jack cried, this time aching to give David what he deserved. David's blue eyes flicked up and rested on Jack's face.  
"You don't know, do you?"  
There was a quick look between Racetrack and Jack. The older vampire looked back at David. "What do you mean?"  
"You didn't tell him Racetrack?"  
"Don't, David, there's no point ta go 'bout this now."  
"Our little Racetrack was in love with your girl, he came to see her every night.."  
Cat could feel the tension growing between the two boys. Jack took a deep breath and walked back to the wall.  
"We need to get him down. Help me Les."  
  
Racetrack squeezed his eyes shut. Why did David have to bring up Sarah? Sure, there were feelings, but they just talked, nothing more, not even a kiss. He opened his eyes, and looked at Gee, huddling in her duster. Walking over to her, he knelt down, brushing her streaked hair out of her face. She was very pale, completely energy drained.  
"You alwright Gee?" She looked up at him, pale eyes flashing.  
"Been better." She felt dizzy, scared, different.  
"It'll be over soon."  
"Hopefully."  
  
Mush melted into his master's arms as soon as he was down, happy to finally get off of the wall. Jack tried not to look his blood slave in the eye as he helped half drag the boy over to the others.  
"Thank you very much David, now we must be going."  
"Excuse me?" David arched an inquisitive eyebrow. "You waltz into my territory without a gift?" Jack's eyes darted to Maddy, then back to David. Cat bit her lip, trying not to talk back to anyone. David could steal Jack's blood slave, but they had to bring a gift when coming back to get the poor guy? It didn't make sense. She didn't want to open her mouth and ask though. She cracked her knuckles.  
"Maddy, this is why you are here." Jack said quietly. Maddy's eyes widened.  
"What!?"  
"We discussed this.he'll only feed, don't worry." Maddy took a deep breath, before taking a step towards David's awaiting arms.  
"No." Cat stepped firmly in front of Maddy. "I will not allow this."  
"Cat," Jack warned. He was getting sick of this, really sick of this.  
  
David looked amused. "Cat, please, don't get involved. Scurry off to your dark apartment and alcoholic mother." Cat balled her hands into fists.  
"She's not an alcoholic, she drinks to forget the pain." David cocked his head to the side.  
"Oh really? And what do you do to forget the pain of your dear father's death?" Cat grimaced. Did everyone know about that? Was there a biography about her out there somewhere?  
"Nothing."  
"I'm sure." She looked at Maddy, who suddenly changed.  
"Alright David, are you ready?" He grinned.  
"Baby are you?"  
Racetrack pulled Cat away from the two of them, letting David do his thing.  
"It's just not right," she said to herself. Racetrack sighed, wishing he had a cigar or something.  
"Well, duh whole situation ain't right.is it?"  
  
Racetrack walked Cat home from the warehouse, avoiding the graveyard as much as possible. They held hands, something neither of them really thought about. Cat wasn't the happiest of campers.  
"Two of us, two of us got messed up. I don't think Maddy's going to school on Monday, she's that traumatized." Racetrack kicked a rock down the street, keeping his eyes on the ground.  
"Well, when you was bitten, did it hurt you that much?" Cat went silent, biting her lip.  
"Not really.I mean, I barely remember." They got to her apartment, stopping at her stoop. There was something hanging between them, something at wanted to ask.  
"Uh.Cat."  
"Racetrack, um." She looked away for a second. "About Sarah."  
"That's ancient history." He said a little too quickly. There was a bit of graveyard dirt smudged on her cheek. He reached up and brushed it away. She blushed, looking down.  
"I'm worried about Gee."  
"She'll be alwright."  
"But she's a blood slave now."  
Racetrack bit his lip, looking up at the moon, hanging in the sky like a sickle. "Well.bein' a blood slave's not dat bad, you jus' gotta pick your mastah's, dat's all." Cat's look softened.  
"You should know, right? I mean, you're one of them." For a second, Racetrack didn't understand was she was talking about, and then it hit him.  
"Dat's right." He pulled her into a hug. "It was nice talkin' to ya Cat.we dun usually get ta do dis one on one."  
"Well, safety in numbers.I'll talk to you tomorrow." She walked up the stairs, pausing at the doorway. Racetrack tipped his imaginary hat. Cat shrugged theatrically.  
"Do I need to wear a sign?" She asked, Racetrack looked up at her with a confused look on his face.  
"What?" She shook her head in disappointment.  
"Never mind." She opened the door and went through, leaving Racetrack alone on the street.  
  
She fumbled with her keys, hoping her mother was still out. She just wanted to go to sleep, no questions asked. Slowly unlocking her door, she flipped on the lights.and saw her mother sitting in a chair.  
"Mom, I'm sorry I'm-" She cut herself off, her violet black eyes widening in horror. Her mother was sitting in the chair, but her head was titled back, her eyes wide with that final shock of death. Her throat was a bloody mess of torn meat. Cat's power flared. reaching out to touch her mother's cold skin. It passed through, and she felt nothing.  
"Mom?" She couldn't react however, because someone suddenly pinned her against the wall.  
"Cat! Cat! Finally you returned! I've been waiting for so long." She squirmed, looking away from the one person she thought she didn't want to see again. Tears swam in her eyes as he grabbed her wrist and flung her on the couch.  
Spot Conlon looked down at her, his blue eyes wild, he rubbed his blood spattered hands together, pacing back and forth.  
"You don't understand, you don't understand."  
"It is you!" She whispered feverishly. "You killed my father, and now you killed my mother! I should kill you!" She jumped to her feet, running at him, they grappled for a moment, and he pushed her against the wall.  
"No! I can prove it! I can prove it!" Suddenly she felt a quick slash across her palm. She cried out, trying to call upon the power that made vampires rot, she felt nothing. Spot cut his own palm, and he grabbed her hand, their fingers lacing together.  
Flames. That's all she felt. Flames going up her arm. She screamed, trying to fight him, he leaned down, his mouth a few inches away from her ear.  
"It burns doesn't it? Hun, that mean you are a blood slave, but not my blood slave. I think you know exactly who's your master do, don't you Cat?" She went limp against him. "I suggest you start looking," he continued.  
"And you should start with Racetrack."  
  
To Be Continued. 


	10. A goodbye of sorts

Tainted Prayers and Bloody Tears Part One- Malicious Intent  
  
Author's Note: Here's the final chapter of part one! Woohoo! Sorry that it's late, my muse went on strike for higher wages.  
  
Chapter 10  
  
Kid Blink threw the folded up newspaper on the table in front of Spot, his blood was boiling, déjà vu anyone? Spot picked up the newspaper and scanned the headlines.  
"Another body found on the Brooklyn Bridge, teenage daughter traumatized yes?"  
"I thought you were going to stop!" Kid Blink snapped.  
"I was, but she was different."  
"Who, the victim?"  
"No, the girl, did you even look at the paper?" Spot slid it over the table, and Kid Blink picked it up. He quickly scanned the article, before picking up the name of the girl left orphaned, Cataluna McCain.  
"Spot! You got the Necromancer's mother?" Spot grinned, and Blink just shook his head.  
"You knew it was bound to happen, or Race was going to move in on her...he already owns the Necromancer, did you know that?"  
"I had an idea."  
"Well he does, the first time I tasted her blood, I knew, and I told her." Blink studied the picture, shaking his head.  
"I can't believe you."  
"Well believe me, because the most powerful Necromancer in New York City belongs to one, Racetrack Higgins."  
  
Racetrack stood outside Gee's door, trying to get in, but failing. His invitation had been revoked. Gee busied herself in the kitchen, making coffee and cherry poptarts.  
"Lemme in Gee," Racetrack pleaded. "I jus' need to see her." She filled the coffee cup, waiting for the poptarts to pop out of the toaster. She cast a steely glance in Racetrack's direction, before making her way into the bedroom.  
He now knew what Spot felt, standing outside Gee's apartment, wanting to be let in. He wanted to apologize for letting Spot kill her mother; he wanted to apologize for thinking that her father was just a snack he could visit for time to time...before he lost it. He wanted to apologize for seeing her with the blood running down he arms; he almost lost it with her too...  
Racetrack barely remembered what he did to her while she was sleeping, but what was the point anymore? He just wanted to make sure she was okay, what that too much to ask? She was his blood slave; didn't he have a right to see her?  
Gee came back into the kitchen, slamming the apartment door in his face.  
He guessed not.  
  
Jack curled up in the dusty armchair, watching Specs check on Mush's bandages. He hadn't said a word to his blood slave, and didn't plan to. He was careless, sending Mush out to the subway like that, in the part of town David was seen last. Mush was barely conscious these days, only waking up to scream, before having to be forced to sleep again. Jack's stomach rumbled, and Specs raised his eyes to look at him.  
"Do you-"  
"Get out of here." Specs scurried out of the room. Jack closed his eyes, sighing deeply. He refused to drink any blood tainted by Spot at the moment, no matter how kind Specs was being by helping him. He needed to find Racetrack, talk to Gee, his to-do list ran a mile long.  
Who had time to eat?  
  
Aura bit her lip, cutting herself on her fangs again. She watched Cat's chest rise and fall, worried for the poor girl. Gee placed the poptarts and coffee on her nightstand, Aura looked at the food, a little nostalgic, Gee sent her a cool look.  
"You know, it's weird, she always ends up here," she remarked.  
"It's sad, what happened to her mother," Aura said. Gee took a sip of coffee, raising an eyebrow.  
"Yeah, I know, but that's what happens when you're, whatever the hell we are." Gee folded the clothes for Cat to change into when she woke up.  
"Where are your parents?" Aura asked. "If you don't mind me saying so."  
"Not at all. My father's in Milan, and my mother's somewhere in Alaska, she insists that she should be where her 'beast is the most comfortable', she was afraid of killing people, I insisted on staying here." She picked up a poptart, breaking it apart. "Because I know I'm not going to kill anyone."  
"I see..."  
Gee narrowed her eyes.  
Even her own voice sounded doubtful.  
  
Spot cried out as his head was nearly put through the window.  
"You told her! Ya told her!? Didn' I plan on tellin' her myself!?"  
"Before or after you slept with her?"  
Racetrack pushed Spot away, making sure that he slammed heavily against the wall as he did so.  
"It wasn' like dat an' you know it." Spot licked at the blood from the corner of his mouth, his eyes never leaving Racetrack's.  
"I know exactly what it was." He slowly walked towards Racetrack, who held his ground. "Deep in that mind of yours, it was a little game..."  
"Leave me alone."  
"Oh no, you feel the need to come into my own territory and tell me off with a little violence thrown in, do you mind if I tell you EXACTLY what you thought it was?"  
Racetrack went silent, suddenly feeling a burning need for a cigar, or a good pint of blood. Spot had the usual look of manic glee on his face, but this time, it was against him, and Racetrack didn't like that.  
"Listen to me, dear sire," Spot was a few inches away from Race's face now and neither of them wanted to move. "For some strange reason, you feel the need to feel human, it could have been anyone...but you picked her, out of all the people in New York, you pick her. That's something I never figured out. Why her?"  
"I have reasons."  
"Oh do you now?" His trademark smug smirk crossed his lips. "Really? You do? Well that's good, as long as you have reasons for ruining this girl's life."  
"An' you're no bettah!" Racetrack pushed him away, breaking the tension mounting between them. "Do ya remember the two goils ya slaughtad?"  
  
"Yes, their names escape me as of late-"  
"Ash an' Switch, remembah, Gee's friends?"  
"I seem to recall-"  
"She can't fahget Spot, dat's why she didn' let you in..."  
"Well, I would imagine-"  
"Yer jus' as bad as I am!"  
"Yeah, but I don't take out entire families!  
"Ya killed her mother!"  
"It was a wake-up call!"  
"Wake up call mah ass!" He snapped. "Cat's hoit right now-"  
"Hurt!? Hoit!? Do ya know anythin' 'bout hoit!?" Spot pushed Racetrack viciously, crimson tears coming to his eyes. "You made a promise not ta hoit me, remembah? Clearly yeh didn' keep dat promise!"  
They stood in silence for a moment. Spot turned away from him, running his fingers through his dark blond hair.  
"I couldn't stop killing, and I wanted to die. The only thing I could think of was getting my revenge on you, and now I have it." He smiled slightly  
"Now I have it."  
  
Gee closed the bedroom door behind her, leaving Aura to watch over Cat. She felt lucky that she had healed so quickly, but in her heart of hearts, she wished she had died. She was a blood slave now, to a fledgling, how embarrassing was that? Aura was a nice girl, but being her servant, she didn't like it at all.  
Jack sat quietly at the kitchen table, staring at his folded hands.  
"He really didn't mean to hurt her, Gee."  
"I think Patrick had a pretty good idea of what he was doing. The only reason we can't bring her to the hospital is because her power might overflow if the doctors handle her. Plus, any DNA found from...you know would just be inconclusive." She plunked down in the chair across from him, her hands clenched so tightly her knuckles were white.  
"I didn't mean Spot." They locked eyes for a moment, before Gee looked away.  
"The worst thing Anthony did was get close to her, I'm so mad that I didn't smell it." Her hands started to shake, before Jack reached out and took them, calming her down.  
"Hey, you couldn't know, alright?"  
"I should have." Gee was surprised to find that she didn't care that a vampire was holding her hands, trying to make her feel better. His hands were cold, he hadn't fed.  
"Listen, Racetrack wants to talk to Cat, please Gee, he needs to clear things up."  
"Why should I let him?"  
"Because he wants to make her feel better."  
"Oh?" Gee cocked an eyebrow, leaning towards him slightly. "And what makes you think that he'll help?"  
"We need her on our side."  
"For what!?"  
"They're coming." Gee tore her hands from his, standing up.  
"Enough of this! Who's 'they'? Why should I care?!"  
Jack remained calm.  
"You should care because you care about Cat, you should care because you care about Maddy, and most of all, you should care because you are the blood slave of a vampire, you're part of our world." He smirked a little bit. "Or did you forget?" Defeated, Gee sat back down.  
"Who are they?"  
"They hate all non-vampires, especially ones with power. They want to kill people like you, and they want to enslave the rest."  
"You make it sound so simple."  
"With these people, it is."  
"What does this have to do with you?"  
Jack was silent for a long time. "Their leader was my sire, okay? She made me this way, and we have a score to settle. David is a friend of theirs."  
"I see."  
"So we both have a reason to stop them."  
Gee closed her eyes, clenching her hands together again. "I thought this was going to be easy, we all get Mush, I go back to hunting you."  
Jack reached for her hands again, she jerked them away.  
"Nothing is that simple," he told her.  
  
Racetrack froze in the doorway of the dark bedroom, the spill of slight making long shadows of the floor. What could he say? How could he justify what he did? He cracked his knuckles nervously and flicked the light on.  
Cat's eyes were closed, and she was curled up in the same button down shirt he gave her the night of Spot's party. Did she know it was his? Aura looked up, startled that she hadn't noticed him come in sooner. He smiled vaguely at her.  
"Are you allowed in here?"  
"Gee let me, it's okay Aura, Ah'm not gunna hoit her."  
Aura shrugged, getting up and letting him take her place. Racetrack took her hand and held it tightly. He listened quietly to her pulse, worried about how weak it was. Spot took a lot of blood from her that night, among other things.  
"Heya Cat, it's Racetrack...I..." What the hell could he say? He cleared his throat. "I don't know what tah say. I mean, there's no excuse for what I did, no excuse, your father...you, I wasn't thinking clearly, you hafta know that."  
She was awake, he knew it.  
"Cat, say somethin'." Her violet black eyes opened, looking directly into his. She felt different to him, like half of her was taken away. As she tucked her hair behind her ear, he saw it, cut, the bite marks. Half of her was taken away, and that half belonged to Spot. She was like Mush now, except both her masters were alive.  
He'd see about that.  
"Jus' tell me what I can do to make it bettah." At that point, she noticed that he was holding her hand, she jerked it away.  
"I never want to see you again," she hissed. "Get out."  
"Cat..."  
"Get out!"  
All he could do was get up and leave, trying to ignore the tears running down her face. His own tears were coming to his eyes, making him see the world through a scarlet veil. Cat curled back up, her eyes opened now, staring right ahead.  
How could he make things right?  
  
End of Part 1- Malicious Intent, stay tuned for Part 2- Darkest Dreams and Fantasies! 


	11. Hey, people change

Part 2- Darkest Dreams and Fantasies  
  
Chapter 11- A Few Months Later  
  
The September sunlight looked watery as it shone down through the glass ceiling. Maddy moved through the rows and rows of plants, watering them, feeling them grow. She was dressed in her Catholic school uniform, her tawny mess of curls up in a rather messy bun, she picked a daisy, pausing to make the flower grow back again, and tucked it in her hair. She could keep it alive all day if she wanted. The green flickered from her eyes and went copper once more. First day of school today, and for once, she wasn't nervous.  
Maddy was a different girl now, her stutter was almost gone, surfacing only when she was nervous, and she rarely got nervous these days. Being a plant mage had given her the self esteem she would have never gotten if she hadn't met Cat, Gee, and the others. She didn't even need her inhaler anymore.  
Thinking about Cat made her bite her lip, a few days after the incident with Spot; Cat had been sent to a foster home. Over the summer, she had disappeared, and no one, not even Racetrack, knew where she was. Racetrack knew for a fact that she wasn't dead, but Gee insisted that they would need a Tracker to truly find her, whatever that meant.  
It was the first day of their senior year, hopefully Cat would show up, and everything could get back to normal. Something was happening, "they" apparently were coming, and damned if she knew what that meant. Gee and Jack had a tendency to leave her out of the plans, calling her in just to use her magic. Maddy loved casting spells, but still, she was a member of the team, right?  
She fixed her chain belt around her waist, a silver light glinting off the flower that dangled off the end of the chain. She allowed an ivy vine to curl around her wrist, looking around the greenhouse. She thanked her lucky stars that her parents had let her set up this greenhouse on the top of the apartment building they lived in. When you live in a penthouse, you can have anything on the roof, this sure beat a swimming pool.  
She checked her watch, surprised to see what time it was. If she hurried, she could just make it on time!  
  
Gee fiddled with the crescent moon on the end of her chain belt, she didn't believe in dream catchers anymore, they never worked. She had nightmares, scary, dark nightmares that she couldn't remember when she woke up. If it had been closer to the full moon, she wouldn't have been worried.  
She had not changed at all since Aura pressed their bleeding palms together in the graveyard, but her normally black hair with blue streaks was now dyed entirely blue, several shades darker than her eyes.  
"What's wrong?" Jack's voice snapped her out of her thoughts as he joined her outside of the school. She looked surprised for a moment, before reminding herself that Jack had claimed to be "bored", and decided to go to school again.  
"Nothing, I'm just thinking." She couldn't believe that she was friends with a vampire; it used to go against all that she believed in. Not anymore. Specs, a blood slave of Spot's, hovered a little behind Jack. He was sporting a rather nasty black eye, a product of negotiations between Jack and David. Spot was in hiding, ever since Racetrack vowed to kill him, and the last time Gee herself talked to the cyan eyed Lestat wannabe, he had promised to snack on her next. Needless to say, she was a little worried.  
It was hard being Racetrack's friend, she had to admit, after the stuff he did to Cat's family, lying about being a vampire, how could she trust him ever again? Jack said that Racetrack's homicidal streak was over, but how could he be so sure? He promised that all of the vampires in their little gang fed off blood slaves only, but Gee couldn't help but think about all the others. David and Les' allegiances were unclear, Jack had tried to talk to both, but Les was filled with empty promises, and David seemed to like to turn the situation around to mess with their minds.  
It was frustrating, to say the least.  
"We might have found a Tracker," Specs said. Jack nodded. Gee frowned to herself, she was sure she could find one by herself. She didn't like bringing in another vampire ally, but what choice did she have?  
"Is this through Crutchy?"  
"Who else would it be through?"  
  
Maddy looked up at the school that she used to fear, and didn't exactly feel anything. It's hard to be afraid of a school you almost destroyed. She spotted Gee, Specs, and Jack talking by the entrance of the school, her first instinct was to head over there, but what would that do? They'd just quickly end their conversation before she got there. So she stood there, waiting for the blue haired girl to notice her.  
Someone lightly touched her elbow, the hand was cold. Quickly turning around, she came face to face with a rather disheveled Racetrack.  
"Heya Mads."  
"Hey Race, you look like a mess. Haven't been sleeping well?" Racetrack shot her a look that clearly said 'that wasn't funny at all, so I won't even bother to laugh'.  
"Eh, I get by."  
"Still can't find her?"  
He took a cigar out of his pocket and studied it. "Nah, I found her." Maddy's eyes lit up, and Racetrack suddenly became aware that they were heading vaguely towards the three by the entrance.  
"Last night!?"  
"I saw her for a sec, I think, but I hope it ain't her, the people she's hangin' 'round with...not good."  
"Hunters?"  
He nodded. "Not like Gee, if dese people were turned or bonded, they'd kill demselves jus' so dere'd be one less vamp around."  
"So I guess they don't know, listen, tonight we should go an-"  
"Nah Mads, I think it'll be bettah if me an' Jack go, you'd jus' get hoit."  
"Listen, is this about what happened at David's?" She grabbed his arm, coming to a slow stop. "I think we both know that I can handle the field now."  
"You almost died Maddy, I don' want dat tah happen again! Yer a buddin' plant mage, yer useful tah us, but not as a corpse, okay?"  
Racetrack fought to keep his voice a whisper, the kids walking by them into the school would be a little confused if they overheard this conversation. The bell rang, and Racetrack jammed his still unlit cigar back into his pocket and started to head in. Maddy stood there, her hands balled into fists. Her stopped and turned around.  
"Come'on kid, let's go in."  
  
Somewhere across town, someone sat in a dark room. A weak light from the computer washed over his face, giving him a ghostly pale look. His fingers hovered over the keys, as though conflicted, unsure of what to type next. His reddish blonde hair fell over his eyes, which, once a leaf colored green, were gold these days, and he couldn't get used to it.  
"I can't understand this, Jakob." His voice sounded rather feminine, with a strange British accent. He hated that voice, because it didn't belong to him.  
"Well, I don't really care if you understand it." He replied coolly, it had been two months, and at this point, he didn't mind pissing her off. She hissed, forcing him to his feet.  
"Listen, I don't like this arrangement either, okay? I didn't plan this!" His hands slammed down on the keyboard, completely against his will, of course.  
"I'm not blaming you, but this is a weird situation." Jake knew it was the understatement of the year, sharing your body with a demented English demon wasn't just a "weird situation".  
"That boy with the crutch, he's like you, and he can't help us?" Poor poor Kitai, constantly thinking that all people with magic can separate a demon from a host, only people willing to do an increasingly complicated spell would be able to do it.  
"No, but he'll owe us one, don't worry."  
Jake sighed, allowing Kitai to run his fingers through his hair. In turn, she let him sit down and stare at the monitor once more. For two months, Jake hadn't seen the sunshine, for two months his foster parents wondered whether or not to send him to a doctor. Having Kitai in his body did expand his powers, making him feel every person with magic from his room to central Jersey, he knew their names, their powers, and exactly where they were.  
He focused hard on the monitor, right in the middle of writing a brand new file. It kept him busy, writing down all the magical people he could think of.  
"Cataluna McCain, spirit mage, more ties in death than life. Seventeen years old, currently orphaned, living on the streets..."  
  
She didn't want to catch the darkness in her hands anymore. She tried to ignore the energy she saw around people lately. Seeing people glow, even in darkness was a little strange, but that was how she now saw the world. Running her fingers through her thick black wig, her crystal blue contact lenses eyes watched him walk. His black aura showed that he was dead, and therefore a vampire, she slowly began to trace his steps, her grip on her prized silver dagger tightening.  
A girl with platinum blond hair moved next to her, catching her eye. They nodded at each other and struck. The vampire went down with a knife in is chest quicker than he could think.  
Cat stood over him, turning him over with her foot. His face was a mask of shock; the blond girl knelt down, going through his pockets.  
"He won't have anything, Poker," Cat said, disappointment in her voice. It wasn't him, he was just a lackey.  
"So? He could still be carrying cash, remember when we need that?"  
"He's a vampire, what does he need to buy?" She slid her dagger into its holder at her waist, stepping over the body and walking away. Spot was a tough one to catch, ever since that terrible night, he had dropped off the radar, but she'd find him, she promised herself that she would.  
It was all too easy to find Racetrack, he was looking for her. What could she do though? In her heart of hearts, she missed him. Maybe she was afraid if she did see him again, if she talked to him again, that she'd be forced to kill him. Sometimes she didn't think that she wanted that, only sometimes.  
Poker stood up and followed her; she was Cat's only friend since running away who knew about vampires. If the girl had any magic, Cat didn't know, but she was so dedicated to killing vampires, she didn't care if she couldn't pull a rabbit out of a hat or could. She hated all forms of vampiric life, vampires and blood slaves. Cat didn't tell her about her two masters. Sometimes Poker seemed a little scary about the killing, but Cat usually didn't care.  
It was apparently the first day of school that day, but what did she care? She was a high school dropout, vampire hunting Necromancer, immortal and completely empty inside, she didn't have anyone, and was getting pretty good at the art of disguise; no one from her old life could find her, right? She didn't want to make friends with vampires anymore, she wanted to kill them.  
She wanted to kill Spot.  
  
Author's Note: Shortish chapter, but I just needed an intro, we'll delve into the plot soon. And there is apparently a newsie named Jake...the Jake in this story isn't that Jake. 


	12. A little about demons

Tainted Prayers and Bloody Tears Part 2- Darkest Dreams and Fantasies  
  
Chapter 12  
  
"Okay, before we go in, I jus' wanna warn y'all that Jake's a little...diff'rent."  
"He's a Tracker, we know that he's different."  
Crutchy shook his head, tapping his wooden cane on the ground. Sometimes he liked to switch between that and his crutch. Gee rolled her eyes, what hasn't she seen before? Maddy shifted her weight from one foot to the other, Racetrack and Jack both raised an eyebrow. What could be so different from what they all were?  
"Fine you'll see." He knocked on the door, hearing several crashes and two rather loud voices locked in an argument from within. One sounded British.  
"You have to be nice for once in front of these people Kitai."  
"I'll be nice if I bloody well want to!"  
Gee and Jack exchanged glances.  
"I thought the Tracker was going to be alone," Jack said.  
"He is," Crutchy replied. The door swung open, revealing a rather pale, strawberry blond haired boy. Other than his gold colored eyes, Gee didn't find anything wrong with him.  
Maddy flinched, there was something profoundly wrong with that picture, and the boy looked at her for a second with cold, evil eyes.  
"Hi, I'm Jake," he held his hand out to Racetrack, they shook.  
"And I'm Kitai," he spoke again, this time in the feminine British voice they heard before. He squeezed Racetrack's hand tighter than before.  
"Powerful handshake yeh got there, Kitai."  
"Well, I am a demon." Maddy's eyes grew wide.  
"Really?" She asked. Jake smiled at her condescendingly.  
"Yes dear, I am, want to take pictures?"  
"Kitai!"  
"Sorry."  
Jake turned to Gee, who stared at him in confusion. "So you're the one who wants to find the spirit mage?"  
"Necromancer."  
"You don't know much about her, do you?" Jake said, grinning slightly. The group exchanged glances, only Crutchy and Jack looked as though they understood.  
"Invite them in already Jakob, I swear, the boy has absolutely no class!" Jake invited them all in, and they stood around his living room looking vaguely uncomfortable.  
"Before we get into what you mean by 'spirit mage'," Gee began. "Do you mind explaining to us who this Kitai gir- wo-...person is?"  
"Not at all," Jake said in Kitai's voice. "Once upon a time there was an angel."  
"Oh, I love bedtime stories," Racetrack said sarcastically. Why should they care? This freak of a guy was going to help find where Cat was exactly. Jake shot a reptilian glare in Racetrack's direction.  
"The angel pitied the poor stupid humans who walked around completely ignorant of life, a few bites from an apple later, and this angel gets kicked out of heaven, forced into hell, and becomes a demon."  
"Lemme guess," Racetrack said. "That angel was you."  
"No, but Sammy's a good kid," Kitai said, forcing a smile. "I got kicked out with Lucifer and the gang, it was all over that. So I'm doing my job as a djinn in hell-"  
"Djiin?" Maddy asked.  
"Fallen cherubim," Jake explained.  
"And we're not babies in diapers, I'll have you know! Cherubim are supposed to protect, so Djinn do that too, except we grant wishes."  
"Like a genie?"  
"For people's souls. I thought I was going to a perfectly normal target-"  
"Me," Jake remarked.  
"That must be terrible," Maddy said quietly.  
"But he was a mage, which complicates things. Needless to say we got stuck."  
"Fascinatin'" Racetrack said sarcastically.  
"We can be separated, but only by a person who is willing to do an exceedingly complicated ritual."  
"Which is why it's good that you guys need our help," Jake said.  
"Because we need yours," Kitai finished.  
"Well, when we find Cat, we'll convince her to do the ritual," Gee assured.  
"Why wait when you have a perfectly good mage right here?" Jake indicated Maddy, who blushed and looked away. Gee stared blankly in her direction for a moment.  
"Maddy's abilities are specific, I don't think..."  
"Anyone with power can do it." Jake said in Kitai's voice. He grinned at her, and then rolled his eyes. Talk about mixed signals.  
Gee didn't want to explain that she didn't exactly have that much faith in Maddy. Sure, she was completely confident in her abilities now, and had the potential to be extremely powerful, but she could get hurt. It was hard to explain, but she always felt the need to turn to Cat in situations that involved magic than Maddy, Cat's powers felt more...general, whereas Maddy was always going to be just a plant mage to her,  
"I'll do it," Maddy said.  
"Wait a minute!" Gee was about to protest when Jack put his hand on her shoulder.  
"Let her do it." He said quietly. She shot daggers at him, but she didn't speak. Racetrack bit the inside of his cheek, he agreed with Gee, but when Jack makes up his mind...he makes up his mind. Crutchy grinned nervously at Maddy.  
"Way tah go goil, I looked ovah it once an' my head was spinnin'!" Crutchy actually completely understood the ritual; he just wasn't physically strong enough to do it. It was easier to admit a preternatural weakness than a physical one.  
"Can you help me?" She asked him.  
"I'll try."  
"Enough of this bloody heartwarming claptrap!" Jake snapped in Kitai's voice. "Let's just get this over with!"  
  
Poker absentmindedly poked the purplish flesh underneath her eye. Pain flared for a moment, before going back to the dull ache. She looked at the rest of herself in the mirror, frowning at the purple that now ringed her bluish green eye. Cat leaned in the doorway, watching her. If there was one thing Cat had to hate about Poker, it was her eyes. Cyan colored, Spot's eyes. Poker didn't seem to notice the hatred stewing in Cat's heart as she piled her short white hair on top of her head, checking for any vampire bites she might have missed after checking for at least fifteen times.  
Cat pulled the dirty collar of her button down shirt up to cover the twin bites on her neck, she was glad that the shirt was oversized. Poker grinned at Cat in the mirror.  
"And you say they never have wallets." The money they had found in the wallet helped them get a place with a roof for the night, although it was a little dirty.  
"Since when was I the vampire expert?" Poker tousled her white hair and looked away from Cat's reflection.  
"You know more about vampires than anyone I know." She tried to keep her voice from being too accusing, Cat had a tendency to get defensive, and did she think Poker didn't know? Cat once had some hardcore dealings with vampires, anyone could see that. Hell, Poker wouldn't be surprised if she still did. Everyone was against people like her, so Poker wouldn't be surprised if Cat was just a secret double agent for the vampires, a very convincing one, but a double agent nonetheless.  
That's why Poker was probably going to kill her soon. She had a tendency to work alone, and as long as Cat was convinced that they were still on the same side. Her eyes flicked over to look at the twin bite scars on her neck. They were never on the same side...people like Cat didn't deserve to be on the winning side.  
"Where are we going tonight?" Cat asked, breaking the thoughtful silence.  
"A friend's place," Poker said. "He has a bit of a fiery personality, but you'll like him." She tried hard to keep the grin from tugging at her lips.  
  
POOF!  
"Close this time," Jake said quietly.  
Maybe we should wait for this other girl, Kitai said quietly in his head.  
No, he replied. I have faith in her, you should too.  
He involuntarily rolled his eyes and smiled at her.  
"Try again?" Kitai said, making his voice sound a little too exasperated.  
Maddy sighed, looking over the exact way to do the ritual. The correct candles were lit, the right words were being said, and she could almost feel the power...almost. It was scary, opening her mind like this; apparently, she had to call to some being. Instead, it felt as though her power was slippery, hard to hold onto. It just wanted to grow plants and such things. What if Gee was right?  
She wasn't there, having gone outside for air a while back. Jack had gone to find her. Crutchy was watching TV, only Racetrack still seemed to be there, offering support. Maddy bit her lip, angry with herself, why couldn't she do this?  
"Let's try again," she said, gritting her teeth in determination.   
"You should really give her a chance." Jake told her, leaning against the cool concrete building. Gee sat on the curb, trying to ignore him. Undaunted, Jack just sat down next to her.  
"I still think Cat should have done this."  
"Do you really want a pissed off spirit mage doing a really powerful spell? You do realize that Maddy will have the power to do anything if this succeeds, can you imagine what Cat would do?"  
"How come you seem to know what a spirit mage is?" Gee asked, pointing an accusing finger in his face.  
"How come you don't know what one is?" He retorted, his smug grin never leaving his lips. "Listen, a spirit mage is like a jack of all trades for the magic world, they're not specialized."  
"But Cat's a-"  
"Spirit mages can take the energy of other mages and use their powers temporarily. So, if Jake is right, Cat took the energy of a necromancer."  
"But it's clearly not temporary," Gee said. "Cat smells feels and acts like a necromancer all the time."  
"Well, I guess the only way she could keep the powers of another mage is if she killed him or her, but has Cat ever killed anyone?"  
Gee was about the say "no", but she stopped herself. "She has, once, I mean, she claimed to, that's why I hired her to...well, that doesn't matter now. I sensed that she was a Necromancer, so I wanted to test her out."  
"There you have it," Jack said, shrugging. "How she managed to actually kill a Necromancer is beyond me, they're rather hard to kill."  
"You never really know about people," Gee said, looking thoughtfully up at the stars. Jack watched her quietly.  
"Yeah," he replied, easing an arm across her shoulders. "I mean, look at you, for the longest time I thought you was nothing but a crazy Hunter, hating everything to do with vampires."  
"What's to say I'm not?"  
"Well, you are here sitting and talking to one."  
"Doesn't mean I like it." She narrowed her eyes at the sky, dying to change the subject. "Full moon's coming up."  
"I know," Jack said softly. "You're worried about this one, aren't you?"  
"I've been having dreams is all, it worries me sometimes."  
"I know."  
"You know a lot, don't you?" Gee meant to sound bitter and angry, instead it came out softer, gentler.  
"I'm observant."  
"Oh yeah, what do you observe?"  
"You're scared."  
Gee was caught a little off-guard by his assumption, but she didn't protest. She kept her eyes on the velvet blackness of the night, until they settled on a single star shooting across the sky.  
"Hey look, a shooting star," she said, changing the subject yet again. "Make a wish." They sat in silence for a while, comfortable with each other.  
"What did you wish for?" Gee asked him. A smirk passed over his face.  
"I don't think I should tell you."  
"Just tell!"  
"I wished for your safety."  
"Wasted wish."  
"You don't know what's coming." She searched his greenish brown eyes for a sparkle of humor, like it was a joke. She saw only the faintest traces of fear in his otherwise unflappable expression.  
"You're afraid too," she said. Jack leaned in closer, and she let him.  
"What did you wish for?" He asked. She was about to answer, but every single window on the block blew out. There was a cry of triumph from within Jake's apartment, causing both Jack and Gee to turn their heads to look at exactly the same time. Slowly, they turned back to look at each other.  
"Well, it just came true..."  
  
Cat curled her arm around her stomach absentmindedly, her violet black eyes half lidded like a sleepy feline. She rested her head against the wall, in a corner where she was curled, watching Poker and their new friend discuss things. Pie Eater was a skinny, wiry fellow with a nervous twitch and burn scars all over his body. Where he got his nickname, she would never know. His eyes never rested on a place for longer than a few seconds, he picked at his hair as he talked to the frail looking white haired girl.  
Something was up; she had to be on guard.  
  
White hot power tingled at Maddy's fingertips, she could do anything, manipulate reality, change the world. Her eyes opened, completely black, they looked at Jake, cold, merciless.  
Jake heard Kitai's anguished cries inside of his head, and wished he could do the same thing. She was seeing his thoughts, she knew his feelings, and she knew everything he had ever done. Four gray silky wings sprouted from her back, flowing, yet she didn't seem to notice. Maddy wasn't exactly there anymore, she was channeling a Habbim, a fallen angel of balance. Kitai seemed to know the demon.  
"Gremory!" She cried in dismay. "You of all people!" The demon inside Maddy smirked.  
"And only you would be able to be halfway stuck inside this boy, Kitai. I thought that you would have more sense than that."  
"Just shut up at help me, okay?"  
There was a pause, everyone in the room held their breath. All Racetrack was wondering at the moment was whether or not the wings hurt, bursting out of Maddy's back like that. Gee and Jack stood in the doorway, horrified. Wordlessly, Jack took her hand. She let him. Crutchy was just glad it wasn't him.  
"I will, that's why I was called, right? But I require something, well, someone." On instinct, Gee started to go forward, but Jack held her back. There was a piercing silence, and Racetrack was about to get up and say something when Gremory broke the darkness again.  
"Deal, alright, there you go Kitai."  
"What?" Jake asked, suddenly, the world shrunk, he stumbled a bit, and a girl with black hair and gold eyes stopped him from falling. He gaped at her in shock; she just smiled, revealing two sharp fangs.  
"You are to stay here Kitai, and watch over my new protégé." Gremory made two quick gestures with her hands, and Kitai felt two strings twist around where her heart should be.  
"What!?"  
"Do you want to go back to hell?" Gremory asked, strolling over to the girl. Jake was amazed at how short she really was. Kitai didn't back up, and soon the two demons were face to face.  
Racetrack couldn't believe that this was still Maddy, she looked exactly the same in every respect, except for wing and eyes, but the way she carried herself, he voice, everything was different.  
"No, I loathe hell, you know that." Gremory placed her hand on Kitai's shoulder.  
"Then you are released, welcome to the world of the choirless." Kitai smiled, revealing those sharp points of teeth again. Racetrack felt the need to say something, but what could he say?  
Markings appeared on Kitai's cheeks, two long triangles with dots on each side. She winced a little, reaching up to touch them; she wasn't welcome in hell anymore.  
Gee squeezed Jack's hand without thinking about it. Jack was trying to forget how hungry he was. He looked at Gee, noticing how distinct her pulse was in her neck, he put his arm around her, drawing her closer.  
"Good bye Gremory." Kitai said, she grinned at Jake, who was too busy still being in shock to notice.  
"Let's hope we never see each other again," Gremory replied. Then she was gone. Maddy's limp body hit the ground, bereft of wings, and severely weakened. Everyone gathered around her, and Crutchy pushed his way to her side.  
"Good job goil! Nevah could do dat meself!"  
Maddy didn't respond, and they didn't blame her. Jake ran his fingers through his hair, his eyes now a bright leaf green. Now it was business time.  
"So you want to find the spirit mage?"  
  
The three of them sat quietly, staring at each other. Poker looked jumpy, refusing to meet Cat's eyes. Pie Eater watched her as though he was wondering what she tasted like, sadly, Cat had seen that look before. Tension filled the air, who would make the first move?  
Cat did, jumping to her feet; Poker grabbed her arm and roughly pushed her back down.  
"Cat-"  
"Get off me! I need a cigarette!" Reluctantly, the girl let her go. Cat retreated to the balcony. What was wrong with her!? This didn't seem right. Looking over the city, she wondered where Gee was. That's when she heard the door quickly open and close, she didn't turn around, she didn't want to. When she heard the click of the lock, she was forced to turn around.  
Pie Eater stood there, his hands glowing red hot. Damn fire mages, she thought to herself. Poker stood a little beyond the glass, arms crossed, watching with that same damn cyan eyed gaze. Cat backed against the railing, this would not be pretty. 


	13. The Devil's Hour

Black Sunday Part 2- Darkest Dreams and Fantasies  
  
Author's Note: Happy birthday Black Sunday! I can't believe I kept up this story for this long!  
  
Chapter 13- The Devil's Hour  
The clock struck midnight.  
"Why are we obligated to do this?"  
"You're not obligated to do anything, but she did just give us both our freedom."  
"Yeah, and I'm so grateful she summoned that tart Gremory!"  
Jake glared at Kitai, tucking the blanket tighter around Maddy's still form. Crutchy was in the kitchen, whipping up his apparently famous apple turnovers.  
"Demonic possession always makes a fellah hungry!" was his cheerful cry. Jake had to agree. The girl was unconscious, and Jake couldn't even feel her presence, her soul was somewhere, Kitai assured him that she would be back.  
"Gremory just needs to have a word with the girl, that's all," was her odd reply. Jake looked down at the girl on his couch and wondered how the hell he got involved in the little crusade the vampires and the werewolf were on. Kitai sprawled herself on an armchair, filing her long, pointed nails. They did help him get rid of her, in a way.  
"She's coming back," she said in a bored voice.  
Suddenly, the girl's eyes flew open, and she sat up quickly, gasping for breath. She looked around with horrified eyes before the rested on Jake.  
"You look...different."  
"Thanks to you, I am," he said gratefully. There was a black upside down triangle with a dot underneath it under her right eye. A demon's mark, Jake suddenly felt a great swell of pity. There was something strange about the earth mage now; her power was tainted in some way.  
"Where are Gee, Racetrack and Jack?" She asked him.  
"They've gone to find your friend, Cat, I think." Maddy tried to get up, but Jake eased her back down. "Sit down, you're weak, you just channeled-"  
"A Habbim, I know, I talked to her, a beautiful woman with a crown fixed around her waist." Kitai nodded in spite of herself. That was Gremory all right.  
"Channelin' always takes stuff outta mages like us!" Crutchy said, hobbling into the kitchen wielding a plate of apple turnovers. "I did it once back in 1952, nevah doin' it again."  
Maddy furrowed her brow. 1952? The kid looked younger than her. "How old are you, Crutchy?"  
"My powahs were awakened in 1942," he said quietly. Without another word, he rolled up his sleeve, showing off a number in blue ink. There was no need for further explanation. "Thank God it did."  
Kitai made a little noise of recognition, the other two were too horrified to say or do anything.  
"What's passed is past," the boy said simply. "We have woise tings tah worry 'bout."  
"Yeah, like your friend," Jake said. He was desperate to change the subject. "She's in a lot of trouble."  
  
Cat ducked as another fireball whizzed over her head. This was beginning to get annoying. She was a little bit trapped, and even if she somehow managed to get rid of Pie Eater, she'd still have her lovely ex- partner Poker to deal with. For some reason, she wasn't surprised.  
Flames began to dance up and down Pie Eater's arms, the entire balcony shimmered in the heart, and sweat beaded on Cat's forehead, Pie Eater seemed a little chilly. Cat kept trying to get her dagger out of its sheath, but her hands were too wet.  
She was screwed.  
Perfect, Poker thought to herself. Killing another bit of vampire scum. She was always able to smell the death on Cat, and now that the novelty of having a blood slave killing vampires with her faded, it was time to say good-bye. Blood slaves never stay away from their masters for very long, it was only a matter of time.  
And, on the very bright side, Pie Eater's fee wasn't even a fee at all. All she had to do was kill a specific vampire for him.  
All she had to do was kill some vampire named Jack Kelly.  
  
"Hey Jack, Gee, why don'cha try tah catch up, okay? Yer lagging a liddle." Jack slowed his steps even more just to tick Racetrack off. Gee ignored him, staring straight ahead. She was worried sick.  
"So tell me about how you became a werewolf," Jack said, taking her by the crook of her arm and slowing her down. She jerked her arm away, looking straight ahead.  
"I think we have more important things to worry about now, don't you think?"  
"It'll keep your mind off things, it's so close to the full moon, and you know how you get when you get nervous."  
I get furry, she thought to herself, but talking to Jack wasn't going to calm her down. She kept peering down alleyways, making sure no one was following her. Lately should could have sworn someone was following her at night.  
"Fine," she said after a little while. "It happened when I was five, I woke up in the middle of the night from a bad dream, and I snuck into my parent's room and saw my mother's side empty, instead what looked to me like a large dog was curled up, sleeping. It looked like it was having a bad dream, I reached out to pet it and it woke and bit my arm."  
"Your mom sleeps in wolf form?"  
"She finds it more comfortable."  
"And you're okay with the fact that she made you a werewolf?"  
"Why shouldn't I be? Everything happens for a reason."  
"Including Spot raping Cat and killing her mother?"  
Gee flinched at Jack's bluntness. "Yes, even that."  
"You have more faith than I."  
"Everyone needs faith." Jack stopped her, and for a long time, they just looked at each other.  
"Faith is for people who can't do anything for themselves." For a moment, there were just the sound of Racetrack's footsteps several feet ahead, until they too stopped.  
"Hey!" He called from down the street. "Les' go! We're almost there!" The sound of Italian boy's call snapped the two out of it. Wordlessly, they hurried ahead.  
...As a pair of eyes watched their every move.   
Just do it, Poker thought angrily. This is taking too long. Cat was suffering from several burns at the moment, but not enough to kill her. Pie Eater turned back to glance at Poker, who gave him a stern look and gestured for him to hurry. Grinning evilly, he turned back to Cat, readying for the final kill.  
Cat abandoned the dagger idea; instead, she tried to call her power, something she hadn't used in a long long time. Her aura, that familiar black, flared out like an overeager puppy dog, her eyes opened just as Pie Eater pinned her to the ground. Their two auras clashed together, and Cat tried to wind the energy coming from him around her fingers, but the ribbon was too hot, it burned a spiral pattern around her finger.  
Pie Eater was on fire, but not in the way that would hurt him. The fire was an inch off of his skin, flaring out and extremely hot. Cat ignored the feeling of her blistering skin and reached for her knife. She gasped as her hand touched hot metal, the sheath had been burned away. Grabbing the hilt, biting her lip against the pain, she shoved the burning hot knife into his chest. Pie Eater didn't have time to scream as she pushed the blade into his heart. His eyes went lifeless immediately. His flaming hot aura flared out one more time, then crashed down into her.  
She cried out in surprise as the new energy fluttered through her body. It was familiar, the flames no longer hurt, and she knew that if she looked, she'd see the burns and blisters going away. For the first time ever, she felt the healing power of fire.  
Poker cried out in horror as Pie Eater's body dissolved in flames, leaving Cat on the ground. Just as she was about to yank open the door and kill her, the front door burst open, framing three people in the doorway.  
She had never seen these people in her life.  
  
"There's on ting' dat's gunna boddah me," Crutchy said, munching an apple turnover.  
"What's that?" Maddy asked.  
"Cat's upset at Racetrack, ain't she? What makes us tink she wansta be found?"  
"Oh, yeah," Maddy lowered her head for a moment. "I don't think that's going to be a problem."  
Crutchy narrowed his eyes, before they were drawn to the black triangle on Maddy's cheek.  
"Demon's mark, demon's deal," she said, a bitter smile coming to her lips.  
"Madeline," Crutchy said. "What didja do?"  
  
Poker whipped out her knife and threw it, grinning as it landed in Jack's upper thigh. The boy rolled his eyes, pulling the knife out. Looking at Poker, he licked the blood off the blade. Poker's eyes went wide.  
"Vampires!" She cried.  
"Smart one she is," Racetrack remarked. Poker twitched her nose in anger, taking the stake she kept in her back pocket out. Yeah, time for some sport. She lunged at the nearest one, a girl with dark blue hair, when it suddenly hit her. That one wasn't a vampire.  
Gee smelled the air, and beyond the smell of cinders and ash, she detected something surprising.  
"I smell rabbit!" Poker stopped in her tracks, stake raised. Every muscle in her body went still. Gee pulled back her lips in a canine growl, and Poker fought every urge not to run away.  
"Rabbit?" Jack asked.  
"Wererabbit, nevah heard of one-a dose before," Racetrack admitted. His eyes were drawn to the fire on the balcony.  
Cat...He broke into a run, throwing open the balcony door and stopping in his tracks. Cat was standing now, flames dancing up her arms. She looked up at Racetrack with a look of horror.  
"I don't know what's going on," she whispered.  
  
"Gremory told me that she liked my potential, so she said that as long as I represent her on Earth, she would separate you two."  
"Blasted tart," Kitai mumbled.  
"I originally refused, until she decided to sweeten the deal," Maddy folded her hands tightly, feeling a little embarrassed. "She said that Cat would never join us again as long as we still kept in contact with Racetrack, and then she showed me what would happen if we didn't have those two..." She squeezed her eyes shut. "So I agreed, and she promised to rewire the bad memories Cat had of Racetrack."  
"Wow," Crutchy mumbled, awestruck. "That's very selfless of ya Mads."  
"Selfless?" Kitai cried, sitting up angrily. "She's half demon now, she practically has all of our powers, I think she got the sweet end of the deal."  
"Oh yeah?" Jake replied, jumping to Maddy's defense. "But think about it, she's isn't exactly welcome in heaven anymore!" Kitai flinched.  
"I know," Maddy said. "Don't remind me."  
  
"Um...Gee?" Jack said slowly. "I think we got Cat, we can go now." The girl didn't listen, her blue eyes bleeding to that feral amber. Poker's eyes were wide and scared, she didn't move either.  
Fresh meat, Gee thought. So tasty and bloody and raw squirming prey. Just ready for the tasting.  
Jack slowly advanced on her, his hand sliding up her arm ever so slowly. This might get messy, and he didn't want Gee to do anything she might regret. His other arm slowly, ever so slowly, started to go around her waist. In one quick movement, he grabbed her and held her tightly.  
"Run!" He called to Poker. Gee snarled and scratched at him, her fingers growing into claws. Jack hissed in pain, but he was immune to the curse.  
"Let me go Jack! Let me go!" Poker stared at Jack for a moment, narrowing her eyes. She gripped the stake in her hand, before rushing off.  
She'd deal with the vampires later.   
Racetrack couldn't touch her, and it annoyed him. She seemed fine, being on fire and everything, but vampires have a tendency to burn until someone puts them out, and he had a feeling that Cat wouldn't put him out. He glanced behind him and saw Jack holding a thrashing Gee, whispering something fervently into her ear. She seemed to be listening.  
"Um...Cat?"  
"Yeah Race?"  
"Why are you on fiyah?"  
"Couldn't tell ya Race."  
Jack slowly let go of Gee, and she stood there for a moment, her hand to her forehead, her eyes closed. Jack looked up and caught Racetrack's eye.  
She'll be okay in a sec.  
"So...how have ya been?" Racetrack asked slowly.  
"Miss you guys," she said quietly. "I've been looking for Spot; I want to kill him you know." She smiled at him through the flames. "It's good to see you again."  
Racetrack raised an eyebrow. "But you said dat you nevah wanted to see me again...remembah?."  
"I was hurt Racetrack, why didn't you tell me?" She looked a little angry at him, but not homicidal, this was a good thing.  
"We should talk about dis ladah," Racetrack replied. "When yer not on fiyah."  
Gee seemed to pull herself together, and Jack took her arm to walk her over to the burning Cat.  
"Hey Gee," Cat said quietly. "Sorry I..."  
"No problem," Gee said, sounding a little distracted, Jack squeezed her arm. "Listen, focus inwardly on the fire." It was odd now, teaching what she thought was a Necromancer how to control her fire, like she was a fire mage.  
Jack watched in amazement. It was true, she was a spirit mage.  
"Okay..." She closed her eyes and breathed deeply. She felt her nerves spread out into the flames; they felt a part of her.  
"Can you feel them?" Gee asked. Cat nodded. "Good, now draw them into you." Cat wrinkled her nose in concentration, clenching her fists. The fire wavered a little, and then disappeared completely.  
"Wow," Racetrack commented.  
Cat opened her eyes, looking down at her bare arms. Her clothing was pretty burned, yet she had no injuries, or scars of any kind. Not even the old ones, the fire seemed to have made her whole again.  
"The best way to heal a fire mage is to cover them in fire," Gee explained. "Amazing." Cat looked down at her hands, where she finally noticed a burn. It was the spiral pattern around her fingers from when she tried to take Pie Eater's power through her own. She stared at it in amazement.  
"Welcome back Cat," Jack said, grinning. She glared at him, running her fingers over her arms, feeling smooth skin instead of the usual raised scars. Suddenly, she realized that she originally wore a long sleeved shirt, looking down; Cat noticed that most of her clothes had burned off. Blushing madly, she accepted Racetrack's long jacket with grateful relief, he smiled nervously at her.  
"I could really use a cigarette," Cat remarked.   
  
It was an almost tearful reunion between Cat and Maddy, at least on Maddy's side. Crutchy seemed impressed with her newfound fire powers, and Jack just stood away from it all and smiled. No one noticed that the demon Kitai was missing from the reunion.  
She sat on the roof, overlooking the city, her golden eyes sparkling as she saw the first rays of dawn. She was free, and banished from hell. Life was sweet. She closed her eyes, allowing her wings to burst from her back. They were large, powerful, almost leathery looking, and a deep black. She held them over her to shield herself from the morning light. She could walk in daylight now, but it was a little painful.  
She peered over the edge of the building and quietly watched the two humans speak below.  
  
"Don't be mad at yourself, alright?" Jack put his hand on her shoulder, feeling her muscles tense.  
"I almost killed that girl," Gee whispered in awed horror. "I would have, if you let me." She had wanted to as well; the idea of holding that squirming little wererabbit down and tearing away at her flesh was very enticing. She shuddered.  
"I'll never let you; you just have to trust me, alright?" His voice was low, soothing, and it calmed Gee's racing heart.  
"How can I trust someone when I can't even trust myself?"  
Jack turned her around to face him, tilting her chin upwards.  
"Have faith," he said simply. For a moment, they stood there, looking at each other. Jack watched the sun rise in Gee's eyes, and Gee's heart started racing for a whole different reason.  
They kissed.  
  
"Of course you could stay with me," Maddy said. "You can stay in the guest suite!" Cat breathed an inward sigh of relief, living on the streets sucked after a while. Racetrack watched her from across the room. What was going on? She was being civil to him! More than that, she was being nice to him!  
"It was nice meeting you Ms. Kendal," Jake said, kissing Maddy's hand. The girl blushed brightly.  
"Call me M-Maddy!" Jake grinned.  
"I'll remember that."  
"Maddy, you go ahead, I might stay just a little while longer," Cat called from across the room.  
"Sure!" Maddy called back. Slipping on her coat, she stepped outside...  
...and her eyes locked on a kissing Jack and Gee.  
  
"The plot thickens," Kitai whispered. She watched her new mistress stop in her tracks, her eyes wide.  
"Maddy likes him," a voice said behind her. "It's like a soap opera." Kitai didn't bother to turn around.  
"So you're the one they call Spot?" She asked casually. The cyan eyed vampire walked into her view.  
"Yeah, I am."   
Gee and Jack pushed each other away upon noticing Maddy's entrance. The poor plant mage stood there, looking as though the world were falling to pieces. Never in a million years did Maddy expect this. Gee hated vampires, she attacked Jack once.  
No wonder they never seemed to want her around. Tears came to her left eye, and spilled down her cheek. She had liked Jack.  
She had really liked Jack.  
  
"So are you one of them?" Spot asked, looking down at the spectacle below with a bored look on his face.  
"No, and thank your lucky stars, I'm a demon." They were only up against other vampires, if demons wanted to take over, there would be no stopping them. They had the right idea...  
"Oh, and I just thought the wings were a cool mark of your line."  
"You wish."  
They were talking down there, which Kitai knew would help nothing. Her mistress's heart was broken, and no words would fix her broken heart. Spot's eyes stayed on Gee.  
"I want her," he said quietly.  
"Then take her."  
"Not while Jack's around..."  
Kitai saw Maddy run away, her sneakered feet barely making any noise on the black top. She felt her mistress make a wish, and a small fanged smile came to her face.  
"If you stick with me, it could be arranged." 


	14. All Hallows Eve

Black Sunday

Part 2- Darkest Dreams and Fantasies

Chapter 14- All Hallows Eve

Although he hadn't been there in months, Spot's apartment was still the only place to be on a Friday night, especially on a night like this. Loud techno music made the floors tremble, and human, mage, and vampire alike mingled together to that wild and crazy beat. All the usual suspects were there, Dutchy, Specs, Kid Blink; even Crutchy had put in an appearance. It was Mischief Night, a big party night at Spot's place, whether or not he was there.

Les stood quietly in the corner, Aura at his side. The girl's green eyes darted this way and that, amazed at all the vampires. After a few months, Les deemed her worthy to walk among more of her kind. She never thought that there could be this many, and Les chuckled to himself. This barely scratched the surface.

Specs wished that his master were there, it was strange, being in his house without him. He pushed his glasses up his nose, he felt a little woozy, but that was expected. Dutchy stood next to him, wiping the blood off his chin.

Kid Blink seethed to himself, he always had to play host while Spot was off playing. He was sick of just being Spot's right hand man. It was enough, Kid Blink wanted more of a say in the politics going around, he didn't want to agree with every decision Spot made.

The door slammed open, an olive skinned boy stood in the doorway, his hair a bunch of black ringlets tumbling over his forehead. Close behind him was a freckled girl with light brown hair, she held herself in a graceful way, a product of bygone times. They both wore black suits, like they were part of the mafia. A few of the older vampires there knew that if you looked close enough, there was a silver cross on their lapel, not touching skin, of course. Only the oldest vampires would know what this meant.

A few people glanced at Blink, who was just as surprised as they were.

"We're looking for Spot Conlon," The freckle faced girl said, her Southern accent even managed to sound cold. "We were told that this was his place."

"You're at the right place," Blink said. "But I'm watching it for a while; Spot hasn't been around here for months."

The two vampires exchanged looks. The girl looked around, before her eyes rested on Dutchy. She gestured towards him, narrowing her ice blue eyes.

"Don't!" Crutchy cried. He knew what was going to happen, he could feel it.

Dutchy began to choke, what looked to be a sweat broke out on his forehead, the girl walked closer to him, her hand still held out. Her hand began to drip. A cold wind blew, and the temperature of the place started lowering.

"How can she do that?" Aura whispered to Crutchy. He shook his head in awe and horror.

"Mage before she was turned, they keep their powers you know." He appraised her work. "Water mage, she's drownin' him from the inside...I think. Lowerin' the temperature to make ice." Aura grimaced.  
"It's taboo to make a mage a vampire, usually the vampire mage and its sire is killed...there's only one group of vampires that not only tolerate it...they think that these mage vampires are superior." Crutchy looked at the two vampires. "And I hope that this isn't them."

"Here's a message, courtesy of Black Sunday," the boy announced to the party as though he were a ring leader at a rather twisted circus.

"Oh God..." Crutchy whispered in horror. The vampires around him gave him a strange look. Crutchy had never looked so scared. He backed away as though he were afraid of catching some horrible disease the girl had.

"We're coming, all of us."

Specs ran forward, trying to get to Dutchy's side, and the boy turned on him, sending a piercing glare his way. Specs tripped, not over something, but a vine had burst from the floor, wrapping around his ankle.

"Water...earth..." The girl's hand stopped dripping, and what looked to be a perfect dagger of ice had formed in her hand. With a simple flick of her wrist, she threw the knife with deadly accuracy and speed, it hit Dutchy's chest with a thud, and went right through his heart.

"They're part of the Four..." Crutchy said. "They have to be!"

"You'll all be next if you don't submit to our demands." The girl watched as Dutchy fell to the ground, as lifeless as a rag doll. Those ice blue eyes scanned the room again, looking for someone.

"Jack Kelly, where is Jack Kelly?"

"Two of 'em, definitely from Black Sunday!"

"Crutchy, are you sure?"

"As sure as I can be!" Crutchy nervously twisted his hat in his hands. Jack kicked at the poor dead vampire, amazed that he hadn't crumbled to ash yet. Spot's place was completely empty, Kid Blink stood nervously outside the door. Spot would kill him if he ever found out. All the other vampires agreed that it would be a good idea to call the oldest among them, the one who knew the most about mages and things. Jack stared down at the corpse, feeling for all the world like some supernatural FBI agent. Gee was kneeling next to the fully dead Dutchy, she whistled in amazement.

"Frozen completely solid." Her voice sounded amazed. "If you didn't tell me they were vampires, I would say that this was the work of a water mage..."

"It is," Jack said.

"But-" He put a hand on her shoulder, quieting her. Cat leaned against the wall, amazed that she wasn't cold. Everyone in the room, including her, could see their breath, she just felt so warm, all the time. Racetrack pulled his jacket tighter around him.

"Black Sunday, eh? Sounds like some two-bit punk rock band tah me."

"Were you always this ignorant Race, or was this something you picked up over the years?" Jack sneered. "Black Sunday, a group of vampires that think they're superior to everyone else because they used to be mages."

"So? When their bodies die, their powers die with them, right?" Gee asked. "That's like vampires thinking they're better because they were once asthmatic."

Jack smiled and patted Gee's shoulder condescendingly. "And I thought you knew everything about vampires."

Gee raised her eyebrow. "I never said that, but I always thought that magic clings to life."

"It does, but isn't vampirism a sort of magic?"

"I guess."

"So if there is already magic in the person being turned, it just stays, trust me, it's possible." He turned back the Crutchy. "Tell me about the attackers."

"One was a plant mage, dark curly haired boy-"

"Bumlets, go on."

"And the other was the water mage-"

"Girl with long brown hair, freckles, light blue eyes?'

Crutchy looked up at Jack, startled.

"Yeah, how did ya know that?"

"Sickle..." He let his voice drift, the name still on his lips. Gee couldn't read the expression on his face.

"Were there any others with them? Another girl with curly blond hair?"

"No... they were alone."

"True...they wouldn't need to bring Emmeline, if she's still around. They wanted a fancy death, not something as cut and dry as fire."

"Jack, what's going on? Who are these people?"

"In Black Sunday, there's a group of people known as The Four, in ancient times, there were thought to be only four elements, Earth, Air, Fire, and Water, so Black Sunday picks four people to be sort of like...messenger body guards, four vampire mages with powers representing each element."

"So, are they like the leaders?" Cat asked. This subject seemed interesting.

"No, the leader is usually never seen."  
"How do you know so much about them?" Gee asked.

"They were some people I used to know, okay?" He looked at Crutchy. "What did they say?"

"That this would happen if we didn't submit to their demands..."

"Worse will happen if we do," Jack said.

"The goil was lookin' around for ya," Crutchy added. Jack raised an eyebrow.

"Sickle was looking for me? Unlike her to actually seek me out."

"How do you know her?" Gee asked, she could feel a weird feeling of jealousy rise in her stomach.

"She was just this girl I used to know, that's all...we should get going, it's past your bedtime you two." He walked past the four of them without a second glance at Dutchy's dead body.

"I wonder how Jack knew this Sickle girl," Cat said, kicking a soda can idly down the street. Racetrack walked in silence, thoughtfully looking up at the stars.

"Beats me, I've nevah hoid-a dah goil in mah life." They rounded the corner, their footsteps keeping each other's beat. They didn't notice, but they kept the same pace.

"Things are going to get worse, I can feel it." Cat bit her lip and looked up at the stars as well. "It's hard to explain, but it feels as though we're all careening wildly towards some terrible conclusion. Maybe I'm just nuts..."

"Nah, jus' a little pessimistic." They were quite for a while.

"What a strange double date..."

"Double date!?"

"Oh come on Race, Jack and Gee are a couple, remember their little announcement?" About a month ago, Jack and Gee had announced that they were now boyfriend and girlfriend. Cat was shocked, but Racetrack could see it coming a mile away.

"Well, yeah, but you said double."

"Well..." She stopped, and Racetrack stopped next to her. "My father said that you were the one I choose.."

"Huh?"

"Oh! Heh, never mind, that came out wrong."

"Yeah..." He didn't like thinking about Cat's father. He could still remember his last night, the way his eyes flew open in horror as Racetrack drained his wrist. He had gone too far, way too far. Those same eyes looked at him right now, not filled with fear, but with something else. Those same eyes closed as Cat kissed him underneath the street light. Wasn't this what he wanted? His arms slipped around her pulling her closer. Yeah, this was what he wanted, ever since he saw her, dressed all in black at her father's funeral, ever since he saw the blood drip down her arms, standing over sink filled with broken glass and spilled alcohol. He wanted to see those eyes; those violet black eyes fill with love instead of fear or hate.

Hate. She said she had never wanted to see him again, and he couldn't blame her, he had killed her father after all, he had made her his blood slave. What had made her change her mind? He couldn't seem to think straight as she pushed him against the wall of a building, the light from the street lamp gone now, replaced by shadows. The only sound they could hear was the sound of her breath, growing faster and faster, he didn't need to breathe. Her skin felt like it was burning, and wasn't it? With the new powers she possessed, she always felt like she was running a fever. His hands slid underneath her shirt, rubbing circles on her back. He was lost in the feel of her, until a little voice spoke up in the back of his mind.

"This isn't real."

Huh?

"The way she's feeling, it's not real, remember Maddy's deal?"

He pushed her away, listening to her gasp for breath. He wanted her, no doubt about that. She looked at him, confused, slightly disappointed, she wanted him too, or did she?

"What's wrong?"

"I though you nevah wanted tah see me again!" He said. "What evah happened tah dat!?"

"I rethought things over..."

"No you didn't! Someone rethought for you! How could ah evah know...dat any-a dis was real."

She went over to his, slipping her arms around his neck, pressing her lips to his cheek.

"Can't you just feel it? This is what I want, I swear to you."

"Ah'll nevah know if what you're feelin' is real, and dat makes it fake..." He pushed her away. "Ah'm sorry. But dis can't happen." Disappointment flooded her eyes, making them shiny with almost-but-not-quite tears.

"I'm sorry you feel that way Racetrack."

Racetrack wasn't the only one who watched her walk away. Another stealthy pair of eyes watched her retreat with a self satisfied air.

"I wonder how Racetrack and Cat are doing right now," Gee mused, laying her head on Jack's chest. He gently stroked her shoulder, staring up at the stars.

"I bet they're fine," he replied. They were on a nice little knoll in Central Park, listening to the sound of the city, and watching the stars...as best they could in New York.

"Cat really likes him, more than I think she knows."

"Playing matchmaker?"

"Nah, just pointing out the obvious."

"I don't know, because of Spot, I don't think she'll ever be able to trust him again."

"We'll never know, right?"

"Right." They kissed under the stars as though it was the first time, and Gee half expected the music to swell like it did in cheap romance movies, she had found her happy ending.

But who was this Sickle person? And how did Jack know her? She broke the kiss.

"What's wrong?"

"Who's Sickle?"

"I told you, this girl I knew." Gee raised an eyebrow.

"Friend of the family?"

"No! She's..."

Gee kissed his temple softly. "Tell me, you know you can trust me."

Jack's hazel eyes looked into Gee's light blue. He brushed a dark blue strand out of her eye. She was so beautiful, how could he be so lucky? With an inward roll of his eyes, he banished such a mushy and sappy thought from his mind. She was trustworthy, but it wasn't a secret that he felt needed guarding.

"She's my sire."

"That's it? I thought it was something much more serious."

Relief flooded Jack's heart, if she knew what that meant; it was far more serious than she thought. Luckily, she would leave him alone.

"I'm glad I told you," he said. She snuggled closer in his arms, closing her eyes. She was crazy to fall asleep in Central Park, but with Jack there, she felt safe enough to do it.

The loud techno music and dank, dark surroundings reminded Kitai of the good parts of Hell. She slouched on the bar, nursing her fifth Jack Daniels and coke. She wasn't even partially drunk, one of the good parts of being a demon. It was Mischief Night so all the fun people were out, having a good time.

Maddy was in the middle of the dance floor, wearing the sluttiest outfit she could find in her closet, a short skirt and a tank top. She had given herself a makeover that morning, cutting her hair in short, uneven layers, straightening it, and dying it a cherry red color. She looked like a different person, and she was glad. The old, walk all over Maddy was gone, replaced by a tough as nails slut bitch Maddy who took nothing from no one.

"Oh Maddy! We didn't see you there..."

"Sorry to...d-d-disturb you g-g-g-guys..."

Seeing the two of them together made her sick. And all she could do was try and forget them, and this was how she did it.

Kitai watched her dance with a satisfied smile on her face. All going according to plan, poor Maddy's broken heart...it's easy for her to try to get with someone else.

"Is that her?" Spot asked, suddenly appearing at Kitai's side. She nodded.

"Yes, the red haired one with the triangle under her right eye." Spot gave her an appraising look.

"Pretty hot, so that was David's gift..." He gave Kitai's shoulder a friendly pat before he waded into the dance floor, making his way towards the dancing Earth mage. His arm slid around her waist, quickly matching her pace.

"Hey there, I'm Patrick, who are you?"

"Madeline," Maddy replied, looking him up and down. Wow, he was cute, there was some strange dark feeling about him, but Maddy liked that.

"Well Madeline, do you mind if I dance with you?"

"Go ahead, I'm always open."

You better be, Spot thought. Or else later on tonight will be no fun at all. He shot a glance over to Kitai, still leaning at the bar. With a snakelike grin curling her lips, she raised her drink to him. If she was stuck with these obnoxious teenagers, the least she could do was have a little fun. Maddy wanted Jack, Spot wanted Gee, it was a perfect partnership between them, Kitai couldn't do better herself.

And if it backfired and the girl's life was ruined? So what? It teaches that tart Gremory a lesson, Kitai had never liked her anyway.

Halloween, a wonderful holiday where spooks and ghouls came out to play, Sickle hated it. It was so improper, running around dressed like something you weren't, it wasn't practical. She dipped her pen into the inkwell again, writing in her graceful script. She was on page two of her letter, a little voice in the back of her head warned that she was dragging on too much, but she hadn't spoken to Jack Kelly in ages, and this seemed to be a good icebreaker.

A girl looking to be about seventeen sat in a chair next to the desk where Sickle was writing. Well, she wasn't exactly sitting per se, more as she was sitting upside down, her long blond curly hair swinging free over the seat of the chair. She was wearing a black harlequin mask, peering through the holes with laughing green eyes.

"Emmeline, do sit properly, that's most unbecoming of a lady."

"I want to go trick or treating tonight Lisbeth! We never had that in the old days!" She laughed gaily, with that touch of Southern warmth that Sickle was missing. "Where's Bumlets?"

"Around," Sickle replied. It was tough putting up with Emmeline's childish ways, but she was a valuable member of the team, at least that's what Sickle kept telling herself.

"I wonder if he'll go trick or treating with me..." She wiggled uncomfortably, suddenly loosing whatever balance she had and sent herself squealing to the floor. Sickle ignored her, continuing her letter.

"Where's Boots?" Emmeline spoke from her spot on the floor.

"Probably wherever Bumlets is." She laid her pen down for a moment, turning in her seat to look down at the laughing girl on the floor. "Why don't you go and find them?" Emmeline adjusted her mask, hugging her knees. She didn't notice, but she was rocking back and forth slightly.

"But I wanna stay here with you!" Her tone took on a wheedling edge, and Sickle squeezed her eyes shut, trying to block it out.

"Fine, you can do me a favor." She ignored Emmeline's childish cheers of joy and turned back to her letter, signing it with a flourish. She folded it, and then handed a small cylinder of wax to Emmeline. She held it in her hands for a moment, before handing it back quickly. Sickle dripped the now melted wax over the letter, before pressing her ring into the wax.

"You can deliver this to Jack Kelly." Emmeline's eyes grew wide.

"Jack! But how do I know where he is?"

"It's Halloween," Sickle told her, taking on that big sister quality she did when she wanted to manipulate the poor vampire. "Where do all the vampires go on Halloween?"

Emmeline stared up at Sickle blankly. She could see the gears turning in the poor girl's head, but she was coming to no conclusions. Sickle reached out and thwacked her hard.

"Spot's place! Now, do you know where that is?"

"You went there yesterday."

"Yes, I did, now hopefully, Jack'll be there. If he isn't...well, I'm sure you can ask nicely and people will tell you where he is." She held the letter out to Emmeline. "I'm sure you won't fail me."

With wild determination, she seized the letter and shoved it in her back pocket. "I can wear my costume!" She cried joyfully.

"Of course you can! Now go! It's evening, so I bet the party's just getting started!"

"Here we are, the only party you ever really want to be at this Halloween, vampire, mage, or wereanimal alike!"

"Jack, you're crazy, first of all, you're dragging Cat back to Spot's place, second of all, there was just an attack that killed a vampire yesterday, and third of all, you come up with the most ridiculous costume ideas ever."

Jack grinned, adjusting his hat for a more dynamic look. "If I remember well, you loved the idea of us going as Bonnie and Clyde." He put his arm around her shoulder. "Happy 1 month anniversary!" He kissed her cheek.

Cat rolled her eyes at the two of them. Have they really been seeing each other for a month? It seemed crazy. Gee had changed from the crazy vampire hating Giles-esque fact spewing psycho. Was she becoming more...normal? Cat didn't think that would ever happen. She ran her fingers through her hair, why the hell did she allow Gee to dye her hair dark purple? So what if it wasn't permanent? Wigs would have been just fine for her costume, which she had thrown together semi-last minute over the week, claiming to be "Atropos", the Fate from Greek mythology that cut the thread of the living. She was dressed in all purples and blacks, with a large pair of black and purple butterfly wings strapped to her back. Basically, the only thing that she could really say had anything to do with who she claimed to be was the black spool of thread she carried around and the large, scary looking scissors she kept tucked in her belt. Racetrack sulked behind, he never really liked Halloween, and the fact that the others had forced him to dress up didn't please him at all. He was dressed in a pinstripe suit with a long, droopy bowtie. If anyone asked, he was Jack Skellington.

Mush happily danced out of the massive crowd, not wearing any costume that Gee could see. He grinned broadly, showing off the plastic white vampire teeth in his mouth. Jack smiled and nodded in his direction. Gee was glad to see Mush up and about, sure it was about four months since the whole incident at David's, but the poor guy spent two of those months healing.

"Well, fancy meeting you all here," a voice with a familiar English accent snickered behind them. They didn't need to turn around, because Kitai appeared before them, dressed like a French maid.

"Funny, I thought she'd go as a nun," Gee murmured under her breath.

"Cheerio!" Kitai merrily chirped. "Happy All Hallows Eve to all!"

"Shouldn't you be out dancing under the full moon?" Jack asked her. Gee elbowed him in the ribs.

"No full moon tonight," she whispered to him.

"Oh yeah, right."

"Like I would miss a fancy dress party like this? Party of the century!"

"I'm sure," Cat broke in. "Have you seen Maddy around? She left so early yesterday morning, I haven't seen her since..."

Kitai gave a look around. "Oh, I do believe she's around here somewhere." With an enigmatic Mona Lisa smile, she disappeared.

"Demons," Kid Blink said from his spot at the mini-bar not too far away. "They act as though they own the place, only seen two of them in my lifetime, not counting our little female Hugh Grant." He walked over to Racetrack, a red plastic cup in his hand. Not surprisingly, he was dressed as a pirate, Racetrack felt badly for him, it probably wasn't his idea.

"You look awfully relaxed ta-day Blink," Racetrack noticed. "Spot leavin' yah in charge of such-a big party, usually you're off dah wall."

"Well, I would be," Kid Blink paused to sip from his cup. "If Spot had left me in charge." He gestured with his cup holding hand over to a group of people where a familiar figure dressed all in black talked animatedly. He had a red haired girl dressed all in white on his arm, a pair of white angel wings on her back. They were clearly going for the angel/devil couple theme; Cat could swear that she had never seen that girl in her life. She didn't really care at the moment; her eyes never left the dark cyan eyed vampire. Her palms ached, and it was only then that she realized that she had clenched her fists so tightly that her nails had dug bloody crescents into each palm.

"I have a feeling that bringing the Necromancer was a bad idea," Kid Blink remarked, taking note of her reaction. No one bothered to correct him.

"You have no idea," Gee breathed, watching the two of them carry on, obviously a couple.

"That girl looks familiar..." Jack said.

"The plot thickens a bit! I love this part!" Kitai had appeared out of nowhere, watching everything unfolding excitedly.

Spot tore his attention away from the girl for a moment, fixing his eyes directly on Cat. His lips curled in a sultry grin, as he coyly blew a kiss her way. Racetrack grabbed her shoulders just in time to stop her from leaping forward, intent on killing him. Tiny flames started crawling up her arms, burning little holes in her long sleeved black shirt, her palms healed. Racetrack quickly let her go, hissing in pain.

"Cat no!' Gee couldn't get to her to stop her in time, and the slightly flaming spirit mage pushed her way through the crowd.

"This is only gunna end badly!" Racetrack cried, trying to push his way after her. Gee followed close behind him. Jack just stayed behind, a vaguely interested look on his face. Kitai made her wings appear and leapt into the air, yelping as she hit the ceiling. Skimming the heads of the people below, she only knocked a few people over to get to a spot she preferred. She definitely wanted to see this. Cat ripped the pair of scissors from her belt and prepared to stab, when the red haired girl grabbed her wrist.

"This isn't your fight sweetheart, not get out of here before I-"

"Before you what, Cat?" The familiarity of the voice startled Cat, and her eyes settled on something on the girl's cheek, a black upside down triangle with a dot underneath...a demon's mark, she only knew one person with that mark...

"Maddy!?" The earth mage grinned nastily.

"Madeline, you know this girl?" Spot asked.

"I've seen her around," Maddy replied. "You know her?"

Spot moved towards Cat, his sleepy cyan eyes looking her up and down. She hugged herself, it made her feel so dirty...

"Intimately," he said, grinning.

"Cat! Wait!" Racetrack and Gee finally made it to Cat's side. Gee recognized Maddy first and gasped.

"Maddy!?" The girl ignored Gee, looking away. Spot looked at Gee like a wolf looked at prey, catching Kitai's eye, he grinned. Showing off her pointed teeth, Kitai returned the sentiment.

"Well, this is a touching reunion, don'tcha think so Race?" Spot said, looking Racetrack right in the eye. Racetrack bristled with rage, and Gee had to put a reassuring hand on his shoulder, in an attempt to calm him down. Cat's wrist was still in Maddy's grip, and the girl showed no signs of letting go.

"Maddy, what ah yah doin'?" Racetrack asked. Maddy smirked, allowing Spot to put a possessive arm around her waist.

"Whatever I want."

"This is bad," Gee mumbled to herself.

"I know," Kitai replied to her. "Isn't it great?" Gee shot her a glare.

"You're not helping anything."

"I'm not, am I?" Kitai said, a steely edge of rage seeping into her voice. "I actually think I am, just not on your side."

"How could you do this?" Cat asked Maddy, tears filling her eyes. "How could you be with...him?"

"Because I show her a good time," Spot said. Jack had finally come onto the scene, upon seeing that Gee couldn't handle it herself. He sprung forward and grabbed Cat before she could spring forward again.

"You're a monster!" She screamed at him. "A monster!'

"You should be talking, miss two notches in her belt." He leaned over and took her wrist, in defense, more flames began to dance up her arms. "Who did you have to kill to earn that neat little trick?"

Maddy let go of Cat's wrist, for the girl had gotten to hot to hold onto.

"Careful Cataluna!" Kitai called from her spot in the crowd. Everyone ignored her.

"Guys, let's not ruin the party, alright!?" Jack said, desperately trying to keep the peace. Kitai tried again.

"Sudden change in body temperature can hurt the baby Cataluna!"

Everyone took that moment to fall quiet. Cat stood there, completely surprised. The scissors clattered to the ground as she curled her arms around her abdomen, slightly bulging out, but not very noticeable. Her eyes filled with tears, she looked heartbroken.

Kitai stood there with a self-satisfied look on her face. Gee took a step towards her friend, putting her hand on Cat's shoulder.

"Cat, is this...true?" Cat jerked away.

"What are you, my mother!?" She snapped, but her voice cracked, and she broke down into tears. Racetrack opened his mouth to say something, but he couldn't find the words. Jack didn't look surprised. Maddy's eyes widened, and she stepped away from the girl, Spot took her hand.

Gee pulled her close, comforting her as she cried.

"I didn't want to tell you!" She said between sobs. "I didn't want you to know...I don't know what I'm doing."

"Do you know who dah fatha is?" Racetrack finally said. Cat looked at him, her eyes filled with want and love, feelings that Racetrack knew were false.

"I've only ever been with one person..._raped_ by one person."

Once again the entire place filled with silence. Everyone's eyes turned to Spot. He looked as guilty as someone caught red handed. Maddy looked up at him in horror.

"Spot...? What did you...?" He didn't say anything, but he looked down at Cat's abdomen, warring emotions scarring his eyes.

Racetrack wanted more than anything to take Cat in his arms and comfort her, but what could he say? Heck, it was so rare for vampires to impregnate humans, he was amazed that it happened the first time. Vampires dead for longer than 300 years were unable to do it, but Spot was barely 100, so...it was possible.

"Hello?" The silence was broken by a small voice from the front door. Everyone turned as one and saw a small curly blond haired girl. She stood there, dressed as Marie Antoinette, minus the big wig. A few of the boys caught their breath, she was stunning. Clenched in her hand was a letter. She stood on her tiptoes, looking over the crowd. Her eyes rested on Jack and they widened.

"Jack!" Emmeline pushed her way through the crowd, coming to an excited stop right in front of him. She threw her arms around his neck and gave him a big hug, kissing him on the cheek. Gee raised an eyebrow.

"Hey...Emmeline, it's nice to see you again!" The girl giggled a little and clenched the letter tighter. Something caught her eye.

"Oh!" She rushed over to Cat, pushing Gee out of the way. She touched her arm, ignoring the tiny flames still burning there. Cat looked down at her hand, noticing the flames spread to the girl's hand; she pulled it away looking at the fire in her palm.

"You're like me!" She cried. The girl was cute, bubbly, ridiculously nice, and Cat couldn't wait to get the hell away from her. She drew the flames back into herself, would that really hurt the baby? It worried her. She had been pregnant for four month, one month she spent possessing these crazy fire powers that made her feel as though she had a fever all the time.

"Um...Emmeline sweetheart?" The girl whipped around to face Jack again, grinning like a fool.

"Yes Jack? I missed you so much Jack, me an' Bumlets an'-"

"What'cha got there?' He pointed to the letter she was clutching. She looked down at it as though she had just seen it for the first time, and then held it out to him.

"Lis- Sickle wrote this for you!" With a glance at Gee, Jack took it and stuck it in his suit jacket pocket.

"Thanks Emmeline."

The girl looked at all the faced, most of them stone cold, or shocked. She giggled.

"This isn't much of a party, Jack, I heard that this is the place to be on Halloween!" Jack looked back at Spot, who stood there, looking the most shocked of all.

"Well, it was."

Author's note: Wow, this was long, and ended rather...meh. I toyed with the idea of knocking Cat up and decided...sure, why the hell not? I heart Kitai, she's one of my oldest characters ever...but this is the first incarnation of her being British, weird huh? There's soooo much more to be revealed in Chapter 15! Woot!


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